


Dog Guardian

by Alannada



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Humor, Not Beta Read, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2019-10-09 01:04:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 40,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17397152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alannada/pseuds/Alannada
Summary: He was the guardian of her family and shrine, she was his new charge and mistress.





	1. An Old Man and A Dog

**Author's Note:**

> Dog Guardian YT Plyalist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y85Er8-5yk&list=PLShFlHYo4-mU5NCtmZois46SQtFz8zVFt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, the first chapter of this story is basically my entry for the last year's Inuvember, just a bit refreshed. Still, give it some love, guys!   
> I highly recommend listening to Mononoke Hime soundtrack while reading. And the second chapter will be posted like 15 min after this one.   
> Beta: Cstorm86  
> Feedback is highly appreciated!

An old man walked across the shrine grounds, his steps slow but steady. He left the part of the shrine that was open to the public into the remnants of an ancient forest, surrounding a incredibly special tree.. Its wide shadow was shielding a big meadow where the old man was headed. The forest had a peaceful aura, serene and timeless. Not many people walked through it, but the old man always enjoyed spending time in the shadow of the forest, finding peace of mind in it. And the ancient tree seemed to be the heart of the forest. It seemed the soft light and shadows were dancing around it as its branches swayed.

As the human passed the last tree before entering the glade a white shadow came out from behind a tree and joined his side. Together they entered the meadow where the leaves of the Sacred Tree were filtering the sunlight, golden dots swaying across the green grass and reflecting on the pristine white fur of the huge dog that walked soundlessly beside the human. Its eyes were as golden as the sunlight, ears perked as it stood with its head on the same level the human's was. The dog appeared to look mostly like an Akita Inu, but it wasn't a pure blood, its tail wasn't curled upwards, it was hanging in a relaxed, but alert position. The beast had a wide, mucular chest, with strong, long legs and huge paws, its fur short, aside of the ruff around its neck and its tail which were covered by longer hairs.

'Old man,' the shrine keeper heard the voice of the creature, rough and masculine, sounding half bored and half annoyed. The dog had no vocal chords to speak, but his voice was loud and clear in the man's head. One glance on the beast's body language told the shrine keeper that he wasn't really annoyed at seeing him in the forest.

"Dog," the man smiled and reached a hand to touch the side of his snout. The creature that looked more like a trick of imagination than a living being felt solid and warm under the touch of his fingers "Shift for me?"

'What for?" It happened when the man blinked. He felt the fur under his hand disappear like mist and when he looked again there was a boy standing in the dog's place. The boy was leaning down towards him, since now he was taller. His long wild hair was as white as the dog's fur, canine ears sticking out of it. He was dressed in a kimono that looked like it was dyed with fresh blood. His eyes were yellow and his features handsome. He had an old looking katana tucked in his obi and no footwear. The shrine keeper was used to seeing this exotic being in all his forms, but the one standing in front of him was his favorite, since he could talk to him normally now and the being himself seemed to prefer this one. After so many years he still felt odd hearing his voice in his head.

"I wanted to say goodbye," the man stated simply, but when he saw confusion and anxiety on the boy's face he smiled and patted his cheek before dropping his hand. The creature's ears laid back and a scowl appeared on his face, but the signs of annoyance disappeared as soon as he spoke again. "I'm old and I won't be fun to be around for you. I will retire soon. But you won't be left alone. Here."

The boy watched in silence as the old man reached to the rosary hanging around his neck. A spark of pink light sprung from his fingertips and hit the beads. The boy shuddered and sighed.

"I know we did not always see eye to eye, but I'll miss seeing you boy,," the old man smiled when he opened his eyes and saw the huge dog shaking himself to help the beaded collar settle against his chest.

'Stupid human, you'll see me. If I decide to let you, that is.'

The old shrine keeper looked fondly at the cocky gait of the dog who walked towards the Sacred Tree and looked over his shoulder at him.

"It won't be the same," he said sadly and heard no reply other than a snort of the dog that sounded suspiciously like a 'Keh!'

The branches of the Sacred Tree swayed on the wind and as the sunlight blinded the man for a mere second the dog disappeared.


	2. The Girl Who Gets a Shrine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Cstorm86

Kagome had this one dream, that seemed to plague her since she was fifteen. She dreamed it often enough to notice it, despite the fact that she usually didn't remember her dreams and never paid much attention to them.

But this one was different. In that dream she was running, often on all fours, following a more or less accurate road that led from her home to the old shrine on the mountainside, where her grandfather lived. There were various alternations to the dream - it was night or day, sometimes there was the moon shining overhead. Sometimes the road was fuzzy, other times she could find all the noticeable landmarks along the way. Very rarely she was going from the shrine to the city. 

She liked to think about the dream as her subconsciousness reminiscing on how much she liked the shrine with its calm atmosphere and lovely landscape. And her grandfather was pretty cool, even if he liked to tell folk stories all day long. Whatever the reason she was never reached her destination in her dreams. Still, she always felt relaxed and well-rested after them, so she was pretty fond of them. After all, she had a connection to that place, maybe her knowledge what was going to happen in near future was influencing her dreams?

Kagome lived with her mother and brother in the city located under the foot of the mountain, while her grandfather's shrine was located high on the mountainside. They often visited to make sure that he was fine, besides it was already known that Kagome was going to inherit the shrine, so she spent a lot of her vacation days there, learning from the old shrine keeper. The place was in a remote area, but there still were visitors and tourists that wanted to see the shrine. Her family took care of that place for generations.

She never felt bound by the knowledge she'd end up on the mountainside. It wasn't that far from the city and her friends. And since she wanted to be a writer she supposed living in a peaceful place, close to the nature, would be very inspiring for her. Already she was writing little stories, which sometimes got to be published in the local newspaper. Nothing much, but it was a good practice and some extra cash was always welcome.

And her grandfather wasn't an annoying old person who would be very hard to take care of. He just had a tendency to forget things like meals or taking his pills if he was left unchecked. Kagome wasn't the best cook in the area, but supposed he'd be glad to have a hot thing to eat regularly, even if wasn't a five star meal. Besides his sight wasn't the same anymore and he had problems driving his car, so Kagome would be the one driving him to see doctors or whenever 

Now, as a high school graduate, she was going to move to the shrine to watch over their ancestral home and her grandfather, in her free time writing the novel she was dying to start to work on. She hoped it'd be her big book debut.

She was packing her things into boxes to be added to the already packed pile by their flat door. Souta and her mother were working with her, carefully folding or wrapping all her things, talking about visiting and bringing her three high school friends with them.

"Just make sure they don't bring Hojo," she warned them and made them laugh. The trio had tried countless times to set Kagome with that boy on a date for the whole high school. Kagome even once had went for a date with him, but they had found out a relationship between them wouldn't work. They were friends and there was nothing more between them, but the trio never accepted the fact that there could be a friendship between a boy and a girl and nothing more. So they tried, despite being told multiple times it wouldn't work, and now their quest was more of a joke to Kagome, her family and Hojo than anything else. Kagome suspected that maybe it was also for the trio, but whenever she asked they were claiming that they were serious and insisted she should go with Hojo to see the latest movie.

"I'll double check the trunk before we leave," Souta promised. 

"Don't worry, honey," Mama H. folded her daughter's jacket and put it in her old yellow back pack. "There won't be much space in the trunk to fit a human anyway, we'll be bringing your winter clothing and all the stuff that doesn't get to the shrine with us this time. If you remember anything..."

"I'll call," Kagome grinned and picked up a photo of her family to put it carefully in her laptop bag pocket. The laptop bag was the safest place for delicate things, because Kagome paid extra attention to the safety of her writing gear. "I'm a big girl and the shrine isn't that far, we'll manage."

"I know," Mama sighed. "Still, a mother's heart worries when her daughter leaves the nest to start a new one."

"Mom..." Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation, but smiled at her. "I've spent almost all my summer breaks up there since I was a kid, I'm not going abroad. Think about people who move to really far places to start living."

"I know, I know," the older woman sighed and went for a first aid kit to add it to the bag, just in case. Kagome raised a brow at her while Souta just giggled.


	3. The Girl Who Settles Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the favs and comments, I'm so happy yo like the story so far. Feel free to leave your opinion on the chapter.

Kagome brought in the last of her packs and put it on the raised floor of the traditional house that she was going to live in from now on. It was traditional house, alright, but it had some modern features as well - especially the bathroom and laundry room didn't fit with the whole old house atmosphere. Kagome wiped her forehead and kicked her shoes off before stepping on the raised floor and around a pile of previously brought in packs. 

"Is this jasmine tea I smell?" she asked as she entered the kitchen. Three other Higurashi family members were seated around the kitchen table, each with a cup of tea in hand and a piece of apple cake in the other. Kagome glared at Souta, who had ditched her on the end of the bags moving to join the tea party. The boy gave her a sheepish grin and jumped to make her tea.

"Kagome, dear, are you finished with the packages?" her grandfather smiled at her.

"Yup! It took a while, but it's all next to the door. I will carry it to my room later, if it's okay?" the young woman sat by the table. 

"Of course, dear," the old man reached to grip her hand where it rested on the table top. "I don't mind, as long as the highway to the bathroom isn't blocked."

Kagome snickered and took her tea from Souta before promising to keep the highway open.

"We will be visiting the next Sunday," Mama said. "And we'll bring homemade oden."  
"  
Kagome clasped her hands in front of herself.

"Oh, yes, please, mom!" she exclaimed and gave her mom a puppy dog eyes.

After an hour Kagome and her grandfather were standing in front of the house, looking at Mrs. Higurashi putting her car on reverse and rolling down the driveway.

"I guess I'll be moving the boxes upstairs," Kagome sighed.

"Heavy lifting?" the old man inquired. "You know, I can help you, if you want to. Those old bones aren't that old."

"Oh, no," Kagome shook her head vigorously. "It's just that... Well, I guess I already miss my old place and now I have to unpack and settle... I never was away from home for long... I know it's silly," she shrugged, unsure how to put her feelings in words. She looked in her grandfather's eyes and saw him smile.

"Ah, moving sometimes make you feel that way, but it won't take long to adjust, child. Come, let's go see the Sacred Tree," he gestured for her to walk with him towards the bit of forest that belonged to the shrine grounds. 

Kagome returned his smile, happy that she wasn't alone. She walked beside him, looking at the forest that seemed to have a peaceful aura that was soothing her anxiety.

She missed a flash of white and red that came from the roof of the house and disappeared behind the door. 

Soon they found themselves in front of the ancient tree and Kagome found her previous feelings melting when she reached to rub the bark of the Tree. The shrine was her home now, but the apartment in the city was her home as well, full of memories and where she could always go to see her other family members. But the shrine was where her roots were - for five centuries this was where Higurashis lived and served as priests and priestesses. When she stood, her hand against the Sacred Tree, looking at the meadow and her grandfather glancing at her with fondness, she knew she was going to be alright.

It almost felt as if the Sacred Tree itself greeted her. 

After a few minutes they returned home and Kagome decided that it was the high time to tackle the unpacking.

She picked her huge yellow bag pack, that was sitting on the edge of the raised floor in the entryway and walked halfway towards her room before she realized something was wrong. 

She looked back and saw her grandfather putting his shoes on his shelf of the shoe box. There were no packages piled up on one side of the corridor. Kagome walked to her room and found all her stuff stacked on the center of the floor. 

"Huh?" she put her bag pack down. 'Guess Souta felt remorse for ditching me for a slice of an apple pie and sneaked away while I was talking to mom and grandpa to bring my stuff here. Well, there's no reason to procrastinate unpacking more," she shrugged and reached for the bag containing her cosmetics. "I need to give Souta a really cool gift for his birthday."


	4. The Old Man Who Plays Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, thank you all for the love you show this story, I'm so glad to see you like it! Just because of that I decided not to wait and update faster than it was planned.

Kagome woke up in the middle of the night and for a second she was pretty freaked out, because she didn't know where she was. She snuggled into her futon, covering her shoulder with a blanket while looking around anxiously. She spotted her electronic clock blinking at her from her dresser, telling her it was barely past midnight.

It was then that she finally remembered where she was - at her shrine house. And that pile of stuff in a corner was the remainder of her unpacked things, not a supernatural being watching her during sleep. She groaned inwardly at her irrational half-asleep assumptions. Of course it was just an ordinary pile of stuff, that she was going to sort and put away the next day.

She spent a while laying in her bed, simply letting herself feel the house. She could hear wind blowing outside, rustling in the forest that was near. Her sight slid across the room, taking in the otherworldly shapes that were just furniture. In her old home she had had a bed, but here she was going to sleep on a futon, which also changed the angle at which she was looking. 

More awake now Kagome felt that her bladder decided that since she wasn't sleeping, she could go and empty it. She sighed and threw her blanket off of her legs, Shuffling across the tatami mats towards the sliding door she outstretched her hands, trying to remember if there was anything she could trip over in the dark.

Luckily she reached the door without an accident. She gave a sigh of relief and carefully sneaked into the corridor. One look in the darkness made her realize, that the bathroom quest was going to be a hard one. But slowly, carefully, she managed to cross the short corridor and then climb down the steep stairs to the first floor. Now she just had to turn and go to the bathroom located on the back of the house. 

But when she reached the bottom of the stairs she almost forgot about her pee desire, because she saw light coming through a crack in the living room door. She heard movement inside when she started to walk in that direction.

"Grandpa!" Kagome opened the door and saw her grandfather sitting by the table, bending to pick a white rock that rolled out of the table top and onto the tatami mat. The sliding door to the garden were opened, letting in the cool air.

"Oh, Kagome, dear," he glanced at her and put the picked rock in a small box next to the Go board laying on the table. Kagome walked in and saw that there were at least a dozen of white and black rocks on the board already. "I thought you went to bed hours ago."

"Grandpa, it's after midnight, don't tell me you forgot to go to bed!" Kagome walked to the door and slid it closed. "Go to bed, you need to sleep too."

She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. 

"I didn't forget, I just sometimes play Go before sleep. I'll go to bed but you have to play with me once first. I can't fall asleep without some brain exercise," he gestured to the board. "It will be fun and won't take long. Humor an old man?"

"Uh, okay," Kagome glanced at the board. "Well, okay, but I need to go to the bathroom first."

"That's alright, I'll bring some midnight snack while you're gone," the old shrine keeper offered.

And so, five minutes later, Kagome was kneeling in front of the board, dressed in her pj's, with a cup of white tea and a box of pale rocks next to her hand. She looked down at the board. Her grandfather was a big Go fan and utilized various strategies during his matches with friends. Now it looked like he had been playing white as aggressively daring player while the blacks were more focused on defense. Still, a glance to the captured rocks' piles confirmed that the players were pretty even. Kagome wasn't the best Go player, but was decent herself, after playing against her grandpa often enough to pick up some tricks.

Kagome glanced across the board at her grandfather, who smiled at her.

"Go on, it's your turn now," he encouraged. Kagome put her rock on the board.

"Okay, let's make this quick," she said and looked around. "Where is the cake? You promised a snack, grandpa."

"Oh? A, yes, I did, but it looks like the cake's gone," he shrugged. "I have no other sweets at home right now."

"Gone already? There was almost a third of it left when mom and Souta left," Kagome raised an eyebrow at him. Her grandfather glanced away, preferring to look at the closed door to the garden than at her. "You ate it all?"

"It was tasty," he said and she just groaned before next rocks were added to the board.

"You'll have to go on a diet if you can just inhale a third of a cake," she murmured. The old shrine keeper sighed, then looked at the board. He glanced to the garden door and back at the board.

"You know, white player should be less shy in their advance" he commented on her strategy. "You have to finalize the game fast and with the benefit to you, after all."

"Yeah, I know, blacks do the first move," she rolled her eyes. The old man looked at her with odd look on his face before capturing one of her rocks.

"Hm, you're correct," he mused. "I guess blacks are less... timid to step onto the battle field and meet their opponent face to face."

"I never thought about it that way!" Kagome giggled. "You know, from what I saw of the board earlier it was the whites who were more aggressive," she pointed out while putting her rock. 

"Ah, in my night Go sessions they often get ahead of themselves, yes. I think they think their nose leads them to the victory. But charging into a battle without a good strategy can lead to getting the nose pinched."

Kagome laughed at that while her grandfather grinned smugly. They played for a while longer and when they finished the match Kagome went to put their cups in the sink before going to bed. Her grandfather put the board and the rocks away in the storage area close to the window. When he glanced out at the garden he saw a white shadow glaring with its golden eyes at him. He just waved a hand and went to bed. 

He knew one thing - the next days were going to be very interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually learned basic rules of Go for this chapter, so yeah...


	5. The Girl Goes Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I had it done for Forest Spirit and seemed to be liked by my readers there - do you want me to make a yt playlist for this story so you can read to the same music I write to?  
> Beta: Cstorm86 from FFnet

The next day Kagome woke up groggy and tired - which was no surprise after spending a part of her 'sleep time' playing Go with her grandpa, who had devoured the cake that she had hoped to save for today lunch. Still, she couldn't hold it against him, after all he wasn't privy to her mother's baking too often. 

Kagome sighed and crawled out of the warmth of her bed to dress and make herself look proper. She glared at the pile of stuff to sort and put away later, but first she had to eat breakfast and perform her duties around the house and shrine.

As she entered the kitchen she found her grandfather standing in front of an open cabinet with an instant ramen cup in hand.

"Good day," he smiled brilliantly and went to a bowl to dump his ramen into it. "Slept well? Did you have any dreams? First night in a new place dreams are special, you know?"

Kagome rubbed her face and went to make coffee for herself. 

"I dreamed I was a mermaid," she muttered, not very excited about the whole idea of important prophetic dreams. "It'd be kinda hard to be a mermaid living on a mountainside, huh?"

"A being who lives on the border of two worlds," the shrine keeper poured water into his ramen and handed her the kettle so she could fill her cup. "Not one, nor another, interesting... I'm almost sure we have a mermaid's tail fins in our storage room, remind me to show them to you later."

"Yeah, sure," Kagome sat by the table and took a sip of life from her coffee. 'Goodness, how can grandpa be so energetic so early? It should be banned... And I'm sure he doesn't drink coffee, too... Life is so unfair...'

"What are you plans for today?" he asked as he sat down to eat his breakfast. Kagome glared at it.

"I need to finish unpacking and go to the shop,” she said and looked into her grandfather's face. "I saw the contents of the cabinets," she stated grimly. Yes, she had went through them while making her grocery shopping list and - as much as she understood how convenient it was to eat instant food - she wanted to make some changes. Her grandfather wasn't a good cook, but now it'd be her task to feed them both. "But it all can wait if you have some stuff for me to do."

Her grandfather shook his head.

"Nothing that can't be done later. Better go shopping before the weather gets nasty. I heard there's a storm coming in the afternoon.” 

With that warning in mind Kagome left the shrine as soon as possible, riding on her old bicycle to go to the small village that nestled on the mountainside and had the nearest convenience store. It wasn't far and she enjoyed the road through the forest, despite the fact that it wasn't one of the smoothest ones. She tried to push away the knowledge that her way back wouldn't be so nice because she'd have to go up the mountainside. 

The village was pretty small, but decently prosperous, the villagers farmed sheep and goats or worked for local businesses; like an onsen that was pretty popular. Still, the place wasn't overflowing with tourists like some resorts. Kagome had visited the village and the onsen a lot of times in the past, it was just behind the corner from the shrine and it was literally the closest place where people lived. 

The store was located toward the end of the village closer to the shrine, so it took her no time to get there and park her bike in front of it. Soon she was pushing an iron cart in front of herself and gathering supplies.

She was in the pet food alley when that man came to talk to her.

He was a couple of years older, rather handsome and dressed in nice clothes. Judging by his looks he was a foreigner, probably a tourist staying in the hotel near the onsen. She glared at him from the can of cat food she was holding when he came to stand on the edge of her personal space bubble and saw his piercing blue eyes looking straight into her own. Then he flashed her a wide smile and casually leaned against the shelf. 

"Hi there," he said in a pretty fluent Japanese. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"Buying cat food," she shrugged and reached for another can to add it into the cart. She hated people who woulf approach total strangers and stare at them like that guy was, with the look clearly telling that he was looking down at her and was pretty full of himself. "If you need help you should go to the shop staff," she pointed in direction of the front of the shop.

"I'd rather stay with you." he shrugged and flashed her a charming smile. His next words were half a question, half a statement. "I'll help you shop, so you can go grab some lunch with me?"

"Excuse me?" Kagome stared at the man, almost dropping a bag of dry cat food on her foot.

"I came to visit my uncle here for a couple of weeks and you're the prettiest girl in this place," he explained himself. "So I thought it'd be great to hang around and stuff."

Kagome glared at the man coldly. The previous summer Eri had had a boyfriend who was a rich boy from France, spending vacations in Japan. He had been pretty okay, until he had decided to break up with her, telling her that it had been just a fun summer adventure, but it hadn't been meant to last after his return to France.

It had taken weeks for Eri to get over this.

"Not interested," she replied coldly. "I don't want to associate with people like you. Good day," with that she turned and left the aisle, going to find the noodle stand. She had planned for the shopping trip to be fun and refused to get annoyed at that boy. 

 

.

Tom took a few steps, intent on following the pretty, petite girl. He wasn't sure why his charm didn't work on her, but knew he could woo her, usually he had girls wrapped around his finger in under five minutes. This one wouldn't be a challenge once she listened to his sappy story of healing his broken heart. Chicks liked to help tend to hurt sensitive guys.

His eyes followed the long ponytail of the girl when she turned left at the end of the aisle. And then the air in front of him waved like it uses to do in great heat. Tom stumbled backwards with a silent cry.

A huge white dog, bigger than Great Dane or any other breed Tom heard about, was crouching in the place where a minute ago there hadn't been anything at all. It seemed to fill the whole world with its threatening presence, towering over the boy. The beast's fur was bristling, jaws full of long, sharp teeth, claws scratching the tile floor. Saliva was dripping from huge fangs as the creature lowered itself, readying itself to attack.

But the worst were its eyes - burning like twin suns, deadly and malevolent. They brought to Tom the memory of his aunt, who was Japanese, telling him about yama inu, spirits that watched travelers and killed those who stumbled on a mountain path. She was one of those people who believed in all those crazy folklore stores. Tom used to poke fun at her for that, but right now he was believing her wholeheartedly. 

A low growl brought Tom out of his stupor and the boy didn't waste any more time. With a cry he turned on his heels, intent on running away from the beast. Before he could make more than a handful of steps he tripped over something and fell to the floor.

"Please, don't kill me!" he squeaked out when something heavy pressed against his back, like a hand preventing him from getting up. His hands flew to cover his head.

"Don't approach the miko again, human," whispered a growling voice next to his ear. "Leave this mountain, I hate your stench."

"Yes, I promise I will!" he felt the weight lift. Mere seconds later a handful of customers and a member of the shop staff came running to see what was the cause of his screams. 

.

Kagome approached the tiny line of customers waiting for the cashier to come back. She had went through her list twice to make sure she had everything. 

"Where's the cashier?" she asked an old lady standing in front of her. 

"A boy fainted in the shop area and they had to call his family to get him," she explained and added in a hushed voice. "I heard he tripped and was mumbling something about yama inu attacking him before fainting," she shook her head. "Those silly kid these days, yama inu don't venture into villages."

"Yeah, they stick to forests and mountain roads," Kagome nodded and received a pleased smile from the woman. She guessed that the old lady was glad she agreed with her on the youkai lore.

The cashier returned shortly after and soon Kagome was riding home with her bags tied to all parts of her bike where a bag could be tied to without rendering the vehicle useless. 

When she reached the shrine she no longer remembered the foreigner who had wanted to take her to lunch. She had other things to do.

As the girl hauled her shopping inside and closed the door, a huge white dog proudly walked through the red gate, his tail raised proudly up, his ears perked and a smug expression on his furry face.

'It sure was more fun than escorting the old fart,' the dog thought before going to have a well-deserved nap under the Sacred Tree.


	6. The Girl Sweeps the Yard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The promised playlist. It will be growing with the story since I add songs as I work on the chapters.  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y85Er8-5yk&list=PLShFlHYo4mU5NCtmZois46SQtFz8zVFt
> 
> The link will be posted on my tumblr, so head there, if you don't feel like typing that in your browser :D  
> Beta: Cstorm86

It was after lunch and Kagome was dressed in her miko robes. The red and white of the garb was in stark contrast to the vibrant thousands of shadows of green and brown of all the plants growing around the place. 

The garden surrounding the shrine area, that was open to visitors, contained mostly trees and bushes that didn't need much tending, the rest was just grass that was cut on a regular basis. Behind the house was a small vegetable and herb garden, herbs being used mostly as spices or in good luck charms. And there was also the forest part of the grounds, growing wild and free. Sometimes her grandfather would sell a tree or two that grew too close to each other or remove dry ones to have some fire wood and make place for new trees. 

A few visitors were roaming around the open area, ringing the bell and praying or just soaking in the serene atmosphere of the place. Kagome knew she was going to be the center of attention for many of the visitors, at least at first. The rumors of the new miko would spread fast and some would come to see her performing her duties, even if said duties were as mundane as the sweeping of the yard.

She finished her work and put the broom in the shed when her grandfather approached her. He held a charm in his hands.

"Kagome, dear, could you hang this on the Sacred Tree?" he asked.

"Sure," Kagome took the charm and went behind the corner of the shed where a small box was attached to its side. It housed two pairs of comfortable shoes, that were more easy to walk in through the forest. Kagome kicked the wooden sandals off of her feet and put on her old sneakers, snickering at the contrast of her traditional robe that could fit in the warring states era and her modern footwear. She made sure she had the charm stashed in her sleeve before walking into the shadow of the forest.

She never saw the mischievous Higurashi smirk her grandfather had on his face when he observed her. 'All goes according to my plan. Black rocks are closing on you,' he thought amused. He went to make sure the last two visitors of the shrine were gone before walking after his granddaughter.

Meanwhile Kagome made her way through the forest, dodging the branches and roots that grew across the path to the Sacred Tree. As a child she had made a little game of it, trying to move as quiet as possible, imagining she was Indiana Jones sneaking up on some bad guys in an American movie. When Souta had been big enough he had joined her in the game.

The meadow housing the ancient tree came to view and Kagome smiled, seeing the soft shadows and spots of sunlight filtered through the leaves, all golden and green. It was a picture of serenity, timeless beauty and harmony of nature.

She stopped when she noticed something that didn't fit. A splash of red like fresh blood was at the foot of the Sacred Tree, along with white that was too stark to be just sunlight reflected on the tree's bark.

Kagome stared at the vision in front of herself for a long minute, unable to even comprehend what she was looking at.

There was a boy with indecently long hair that was silver white and looked like it had never been acquainted with a brush. His clothing was as odd as his hair style - it was a red kimono effectively hiding all details of his physique, aside from his bare feet and hands, which were tucked under his cheek as he rested on his side. And he was resting on his side because he was asleep.

As Kagome wasted more time staring at the unsuspecting boy she noticed that there was an old katana laying next to him, but it hardly registered. For her the more important fact was that there was a strange boy sleeping in her forest, his face nuzzling the soft moss and his pose relaxed.

"Hey, you!" she exclaimed, stomping into the meadow, her hands on her hips. "What do you th-!"

She never finished her sentence.

The boy sprang awake. And 'sprang' was a good word there, because he jumped good two meters up in the air before falling to a crouch, facing her, his eyes frantically blinking away the drowsiness of being woken from a deep slumber.

"Don't you try to run away!" she yelled when she saw him looking around. He tensed and glared her way and that was when she had a chance to look at his eyes.

His golden eyes with pupils akin to a cat's, she realized, when at the same time the mane of his hair got pulled down his back and shoulders by always helpful gravity to reveal what had been hidden - a pair of fuzzy Spitz dog ears atop his head. The ears laid back as if they could feel the weight of her eyes on them and wished to find sanctuary in his tousled tresses. The air in the meadow seemed to grow tense, darken and tingle against her skin in a way she couldn't describe.

"Damn!" the boy barked and that brought her out of her stupor. She took a step back, unsure what to think about the sight in front of her. It clearly wasn't a cosplayer that strayed away from a convention. As she stepped back his eyes widened,and then narrowed, his shocked expression turning into a dark scowl.

"Fuck!" he swore again, clearly not happy about being discovered.

"Who...? Wha...?" she stammered out. 'Youkai!' her mind was chanting, partially amazed at the sight of the supernatural (and rather handsome) being, partially stunned to see such a being was real and obviously in a foul mood. She was from a shrine keeping family, she knew a lot of stories about youkai, but she had never seen any. She needed a minute to get over it. 

"His name is Inuyasha," came a reply spoken in an amused voice. Both of them looked to the side to see the old shrine keeper smirking at them, standing at the end of the forest path. "And her name is Higurashi Kagome, the shrine keeper you should've approached earlier, dog."

"Grandfather..." Kagome pointed a finger at the white-haired boy. "He... He..."

The said boy growled and sent a glare her finger's way. She immediately tucked her hand against her chest. 

"Old fart! You..."

"Don't call my grandfather names!" Kagome scolded the boy, who instantly closed his mouth and just glared at her. She didn't really think about it beforehand, just scolded him as if he was a rude boy, but then when he shut up, she glanced his way, anxious about what he was going to do. Yelling at youkai wasn't the smartest thing to do, according to the folk tales. Angry youkai could do wicked stuff to humans that angered them, maybe she should apologize and give him an offering to appease him?

But the boy didn't move, just glared. The shrine keeper chuckled, finding much entertainment in the situation. He remembered his own introduction to Inuyasha all those years ago.

He had been on his way to the shrine, when a group of soldiers had came to make sure he wasn't smuggling anything, despite the fact that he obviously wasn't. But he was alone and they were probably bored, so they had decided to entertain themselves with a local person. He had doubted they even had recognized he was a priest by his robes or if they simply hadn't cared. He had been sure he was a goner that moment, seeing the five men that were armed while he had nothing beside a bag of food for his family that waited for him at the shrine. They had talked to him, but he hadn't understood their language.

And that had been when suddenly they had opened fire, screaming. He had screamed himself and had collapsed to the ground, frightened but not harmed. They hadn't been even looking at him, aiming their guns at something that had emerged from the forest behind him.

Before he had time to look behind himself he had heard a formidable growl and a white shadow passed over him to land in front of him on paws spread widely, not caring about bullets that hissed about its ears. With a bone-chilling howl the creature charged at the soldiers, who in panic ran to their car parked nearby and sped away, shooting once or twice at the being that had chased them for a dozen or so meters.

The huge white dog had looked back at him, kneeling on the side of the road, staring at him in awe, fright and amazement. When the canine moved its enormous head towards him he had closed his eyes, praying to the gods. He had missed the burst of light, but had felt the furry nuzzle touching his forehead and his reiki rising to meet youki.

'Stop laying around, we have places to go, human,' a gruff voice had spoken in his head. 

Grandfather Higurashi smiled fondly at the boy glaring silently his way. 'I guess it's a family tradition to startle new shrine keepers with you, dog,' he thought and was certain the boy's reply would be a snort.

"I already closed the shrine for the day, so we have plenty of time to discuss things without any disturbance," he said and gestured for his confused granddaughter to follow him to a patch of moss where they could sit comfortably. The entertainment wasn't over yet.


	7. The Dog and His Wife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, an update! It sure will be fun to see the plot progressing!  
> ~laughs wickedly while a lightning strikes in the background~  
> Beta: Cstorm86

Following a path leading through the mountains was a young man. His name was Take and he was the fifth son of a samurai lord and was on a mission. 

Dressed in plain robes that bore no sign of his clan, he had to travel through the dangerous mountain patch during winter to reach the palace of their ally and bring him his father's letter.

It was a great honor to serve his clan so, to carry such an important and secret message, yet it was a dangerous mission and one that exposed Take to hunger, bitter cold and weariness of aching muscles. 

He sighed and looked back when a gust of biting cold wind blew past him and - to his annoyance - through the heavy wool mantle he was wearing. The storm clouds, heavy from the snow, were closing in on him and he realized he should find a shelter before the storm hit. In the mountains, far from any village, he didn't expect to find much, but a cave would surely shield him at least from some of the blizzard.

He doubled his effort at moving as fast as possible, looking for a good place to hide. When he walked around a rubble of boulders he needed a couple of minutes to realize what he was looking at.

In the center of a small glade, hidden between tall trees and under a blanket of snow, stood a house. Not a dilapidated shack, but a real house, bigger than a village hut and obviously inhabited. The bewildered man approached the building cautiously, almost certain a group of bandits or a youkai was going to jump at him in a second.

But the house looked way too tidy to be a bandits' hideout, And it didn't look like a youkai's lair either.

Before Take could reach the door and peek inside to see whose house it was, the sliding screen was opened and a woman in red and pink kimono came out of the building, carrying a lit lantern, which she hung near the doorway, under the overhanging roof. Take just stood there, frozen a couple of meters away from the house, looking at her.

She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid his eyes on. Petite and slender, despite the multiple layers of her rich kimono, she looked like a heavenly maiden, her hair cascading down her back and reaching her knees, a waterfall of black that made her pale skin shine. Big, innocent and dark eyes turned his way as the woman noticed him, a delicate hand went up to cover the gasp that left her red, full lips. She was perfect, like a dream, and Take felt his heart beat faster.

"Oh, goodness!" her voice was soft, sweet like a silver bell. It charmed Take's heart and the young man swallowed before bowing.

"I am sorry for intruding on you, heavenly maiden," he said. "I'm traveling from beyond the mountains and am weary from my travel. And the storm is close and I wished to ask if you could let me stay in your dwelling until it passes."

The lovely lady shook her head.

"I am no heavenly maiden, good traveler," she said in amusement.

"Then you must be a princess of a noble house!" he exclaimed, smiling at her. He hoped she'd let him stay, not only because of the weather that was worsening with every minute. "For certainly you can't be a commoner or a youkai!"

"I am most certainly a human," she laughed and shook her head. "But my honorable spouse is a youkai, and one who dislikes unwelcome guests. But if you promise to be civil and keep this place and our presence here a secret I think he wouldn't mind you spending the night under our roof."

Take was shocked at that reply, but quickly agreed to her terms. What woman would agree to be a youkai's wife? Maybe she was under a spell? Or held against her will by the vile creature? He decided to see for himself instead of asking her directly, risking upsetting her or her spouse overhearing them. 

Not even an hour later the blizzard hit, shaking the trees in the forest, howling overhead and snowing heavily. Take was extremely grateful that he was inside, near the fire, with a warm bowl of stew in hand, with a beautiful lady keeping his company. But the woman was only partially focused on their conversation, glancing towards the doors often.

"My husband is bound to return any minute now," she explained herself and Take nodded, his smile vanishing. The woman looked so worried, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and swear that he was going to protect her. But when he offered to deal with the youkai she laughed and then looked at him sternly. "My husband is an honorable male, brave and strong. I am his wife because I love him and he loves me. If you desire to fight him know that he will kill you in a heartbeat and I won't stop him, because attacking the one in whose house you're spending the night, whose food you eat, is against the customs and common sense."

Take bowed and apologized, but since that minute the lady was less open towards him and smiled less. He cursed his hasty tongue that betrayed him. 

Suddenly the door slid open and in a cloud of snow and cold air a huge white dog entered the house, its red eyes scanning the main room. 

"Paws!" the lady exclaimed and ran to the creature standing beside the door. Take watched speechless as the princess knelt beside the dog dripping cold water on the dirt before the raised floor. She took a towel and carefully wiped the dog's paws before throwing another towel over its fur and helping to dry the youkai. It had to be a youkai, no dog was that big, nor had those blood red eyes, nor slashes of blue across cheeks. 

Once dry and free of towels the dog jumped to the raised floor and glared at Take, who barely restrained himself from reaching for his sword. The dog looked to the lady standing beside it.

"My beloved, this is Take," she introduced. "He is a traveler who asked for shelter from the storm. I let him in after he promised to keep our secret."

'Very well,' the dog nodded. Its maws didn't move, yet Take heard a male, low voice that had to belong to the lady's spouse. The dog sat on the other side of the fire and the princess busied herself with preparing a meal for him, Take watched the canine eat for a minute before he excused himself and went to the corner of the room where he was going to sleep. He watched the couple sitting next to each other through half closed eyelids until the dog stood up and led the lady deeper into the house, probably to their bedroom.

The mere thought that he, Take, was sleeping on the floor in the main room, while that creature was going to sleep with the lovely lady on a futon was enough to keep Take up for a long while despite how tired he was.

The next morning the storm was over and the world was covered by a thick layer of new snow. Before Take left the house the lady implored him again to keep his promise of keeping their house and presence a secret. 

When two days later, after reaching the palace of his father's ally, Take got a bit tipsy with sake and told about his encounter with the youkai and the lovely lady, he thought that a promise given to a dog and an enchanted princess wasn't a binding one, so he felt little regret about gathering the younger sons of the lord and some of his samurai to go and retrieve the lady he had been thinking about since the fateful day.

They found the house hidden high up the mountain path easily, but to Take's disappointment, there was no sign of the lady nor her hound around, their belongings had vanished and the ashes in the fireplace were cold.

When the group returned to the palace they got a scolding from the lord, a wise old man, who - upon hearing his story himself - enlightened Take, that the lady he had met was indeed a princess of a house that was no more, the fair Izayoi, and that the dog that was her husband was the dog daiyoukai known to humans as Inu no Taisho. The old lord forbid his sons and samurai to chase after them, fearing the fierce youkai's retaliation, but Take couldn't stop thinking about the beautiful princess who so clearly needed him to save her. So he dedicated all his free time to gather rumors and investigate, trying to find her again and this time battle the youkai to free the princess so she could become his wife.

For years all he found were rumors and cold ashes. Until one day one of his samurai brought him a letter from a friend, telling him the whereabouts of the great dog youkai that was waging a war against a dragon youkai.


	8. The Miko Meets the Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? Still alive and kicking!  
> Beta: Cstorm86

Kagome was sitting on the moss-covered root of the Sacred Tree, her brown eyes wide and not moving away from the hanyou crouched not further than two meters away from her. Hiro could easily see that the staring didn't help the irate boy reign in his annoyance.

"Kagome, dear, are you alright?" he asked, hoping to break the shock of the young woman.

Kagome twitched when she heard her grandfather calling her name. She tore her eyes from the glaring yellow-eyed individual to look at the old man, who offered her a reassuring smile.

"He's a youkai," she said. Her grandfather gave a nod while the boy scowled. "Is he real?"

"Should I pull your hair to prove my realness?" said the boy dryly.

"Technically, Inuyasha is a hanyou, but he's been blessed with power and abilities surpassing those of many youkai that walk the world," her grandfather said. Kagome noticed a twinkle of pride in yellow eyes that were still observing her with unnerving intensity. She couldn't help the thought that he was silently challenging her to cross her mind.

Kagome knew quite a few stories featuring youkai and ghosts, after all she was a member of a family of shrine keepers. She had never thought too much about them before. She wasn't one of the people who were firmly stating youkai couldn't exist, after all there were a lot of things in the world science couldn't explain yet and youkai and other supernatural beings could be one of them. But to see a youkai from so close was definitely something else. There was no doubt that he was real.

Her grandfather was seated next to her, a smug smirk on his face as he looked between the youkai - the hanyou - and her. She thought he had all rights to be smug - he had been the one who was always telling her that youkai were real, even if no one had seen any since the days of legends. Seeing him so calm and relaxed helped her feel calmer as well, it looked like he didn't fear the supernatural being and she guessed she shouldn't as well. After all, he was still only glaring at them.

Her gaze drifted again to the squatting young man. His hair was much thicker and longer than hers, as she realized with a bit of envy. It seemed to shine in the dappled light. On top of his head of hair were seated two dog ears and, as much as they looked strange on an - otherwise normal shaped - man, Kagome thought they looked cute and soft as well. The other feature that was drawing attention, beside his rather handsome looks - were his eyes of radiant yellow. He was looking at her and Kagome realized that there was little of the anger that had been there before. He was sizing her up just like she was him, a tentative curiosity was clear in his expression. As she was looking at him she could almost see something wrapped tightly around him, like an aura tinted with red. There was no malice there, but easy to explode temper and unease. The scowl on his face deepened with every second of their mutual silent staring. She had admit it, he looked pretty threatening.

"Fear not, Kagome," he grinned. "Inuyasha here, despite being part youkai, is the shrine guardian and will protect you against any and all that might come after you or the shrine. He means you no harm."

"Believe me, you'd be dead already if I did," supplied the hanyou and grinned, exposing his fangs. Kagome's eyes widened for a second, but then she saw a twinkle of playfulness and challenge in his eyes and realized that he was teasing her. Her grandfather wagged a finger at the boy as if to scold him for scaring her, so she glanced at the dog-eared boy aloofly while turning to the old shrine keeper for more explanation.

"Uh... Like a bodyguard...?" she asked, tilting her head a little.

"You can think about it that way," the old man shrugged.

"Feh, more like an inugami. You know what that is, huh?" Inuyasha spoke again in his raspy, low voice. Kagome gasped and covered her mouth with a hand.

"Don't tell me our ancestors killed a dog to..." she breathed out. 

"Of course not," her grandfather assured her and put a hand on her shoulder. "According to the shrine annals roughly around five centuries ago one of our ancestors had a dream in which the deity warned them about Inuyasha's arrival and soon after the hanyou came to become our family and the shrine's guardian. I tried to make him tell me about that time, but as you will soon learn, Inuyasha doesn't let people too close and rarely shares a story from the past. And it's such a pity, because he saw so many fascinating things!"

"Feh, you're just trying to put your nose where it doesn't belong," the hanyou grumbled while looking away. Kagome couldn't help but smile, he looked just like a normal boy not wanting to tell his parent what he was up to.

"Anyway, since that time he was always the guardian of the shrine and the one who was running it, protecting them and lending a hand whenever it was needed. And since now you're the shrine keeper, dear Kagome, it is time for you to become Inuyasha's master, with all perks and downs of this. Anyway, there's no time like the present to finalize the bond between you two."

"Uh, grandpa..." Kagome started. She wasn't sure how she felt about learning how real youkai were and that one was living for centuries in her family shrine, learning that she was supposed to be his mistress was a bit too much too fast for her liking. "It's a little too much... I never expected anything like this... Can't this finalizing - whatever it is - wait? And do I have to..."

"Kagome..." started her grandfather, but the hanyou, who had been rather out of the conversation so far, shook his head and growled at them both.

"You're an idiot," he told Kagome, his ears laid back in annoyance. "You are the shrine keeper and have reiki, you're bound to draw attention soon, both human and youkai. You don't hafta be bound to me, I don't care, there's still your brother when a youkai kills you. Unless, of course, you are able to protect yourself, which I doubt after watching you for a while."

"Inuyasha!" the old man exclaimed while Kagome bit her bottom lip and paled. Was it all really that serious?

"What? There's no use to sugar coat it for her. She's the Higurashi shrine keeper, she has to man up and take the mantle. Gods know she will see and hear worse."

"I thought..." Kagome said softly, silencing both angry men. "I thought that I was going to be just a regular shrine keeper, selling good luck charms and tending to the shrine..."

"Regular shrine keepers who have reiki battle youkai and keep them out of the human world. And they defend their shrines, because they have lots of artifacts and sealed shit there. Not mentioning the fact that youkai like to devour those who have spiritual powers. I guess they think you're a delicacy," Inuyasha said, his voice strangely soft when he looked at her again. "Listen, wench, you don't have to fight, but I need to be linked to your reiki if I want to retain my ties to the beads and be the shrine guardian to fight for you. The old man's influence on them is fading and it wasn't strong to begin with."

"It was plenty to subdue you for comments like that," Kagome's grandfather grumbled. Kagome looked from her balled fists resting in her lap to look at the hanyou who was now squatting right in front of her. He wasn't scowling anymore, there was a genuine concern and determination in his amber eyes. He didn't even turn his head to glare at the old man. She noticed a rosary wrapped around the hanyou's neck, it was glowing very faintly.

"Let me protect you," the boy in front of her whispered, his voice soft, but solemn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Kagome agree to bond to Inuyasha? How will the ritual go? Will the author poke fun at Kamisama Kiss or will she resist the temptation?


	9. The Girl and Her Peace Offering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story.  
> And special thanks for my beta - Cstorm86

It was sunset and the shrine was already closed for the visitors for the day. Kagome changed into a shirt and sweatpants before descending to the kitchen. As she worked on the supper she looked out of the window and her sight was drawn to the Sacred Tree that dwarfed the rest of the trees around it. 

 

She sighed and resumed her work. It was the second night of her being the official Higurashi mistress of the family shrine guardian, but she hadn't seen him from that fateful meeting the other day.

 

He was nearby, she could sense him, often she saw the results of his actions - like today, after sleeping in, she had found the yard swept and in good shape for the approaching worshipers. Still, no ear nor tail of the hanyou in sight.

 

Her grandfather had been the one who had answered her questions that followed the scene under the Sacred Tree. He had told her a bit about the hanyou and the more supernatural duties of a shrine keeper, how she would be asked for help in dealing with youkai and other beings out of legends. In performing those tasks the help of a powerful hanyou was going to be essential, otherwise she wasn't expected to have any contact with the hanyou if she didn't want to. Her grandfather had told her that she could become his friend in time, treat him as equal but if she wanted to she didn't have to, as long as she wasn't mistreating him.

 

'As if I could ask him to risk his life in a fight for me and not treat him as an equal,' she thought dryly. Then she returned in her mind to that time when she had made the mistake.

 

.

 

Kagome glanced at her grandfather, the old man smiling at her. Then she looked at the hanyou squatting in front of her. 

 

"What am I supposed to do to finalize the bond?" she asked Inuyasha. She supposed it'd be rude to ask grandpa, since she was going to form the bond with this supernatural being.

 

"Give me your hand," Inuyasha demanded and when Kagome obliged, he grabbed her by her wrist and pressed the tip of his claw to her palm. Her eyes widened when she felt a little pang of pain and when he lifted his claw she saw a bead of blood forming in her palm. He glanced up at her, as if to make sure she wasn't going to freak out on him.

 

Kagome had to admit, she was a bit shocked by his action, but was more curious than afraid, even after seeing her own blood. He seemed so focused and moved with calm, sure movements, that calmed her. And it looked like he could read this calm in her face, because he gave a small nod and pulled her hand towards the beaded rosary hanging around his neck. Soon her fingers were curled around the smooth, cool beads, a magatama poking her palm. As she looked at the beads they seemed to shine pink in the sunlight for a moment, but when she blinked they were back to red and ivory.

 

She looked up to the hanyou's face, expecting him to say something, but he just licked his finger and then smeared his saliva over the tiny wound he had caused her. Kagome wiped her hand as soon as it was free of his hold, much to grandfather's merriment. She glared at the old man, who poked his own palm with a finger, prompting her to look at the spot where her skin had been broken. She blinked when she saw no trace of a wound and turned to Inuyasha just to find him with his head bowed low, his ears swiveling and twitching to each and every sound around him.

 

It wasn't her fault her hands got a mind of their own and found purchase on those fuzzy little triangles without her consent or notice.

 

Her fingertips barely grazed the divine softness of the fuzzy fur when she heard a sound between a startled yelp and a growl, that gave her pause. 

 

Last thing she saw of Inuyasha was the white tail of a humongous canine disappearing in the foliage. 

 

.

 

Kagome sighed yet again, her body going through the motions of preparing the meal while her mind wandered. Her grandfather insisted on her training archery and meditation to strengthen and direct her reiki and Kagome was thankful for his guidance, but also unsure if she could actually fight. Blessing and cleansing would be no problem, but shoot arrows in a battle? She bit her bottom lip.

 

After she finished the dinner preparation she took the bowl she put aside and walked out of the room. Carefully she made her way into the forest and to the foot of the Sacred Tree, where she set the bowl on the ground and took the lid off of it. The smell of hot soup filled the crisp air and almost immediately she felt youki nearing the meadow, but not approaching entirely.

 

"Inuyasha," she said aloud, hoping he could hear her. "I'm sorry for offending you. Please, accept this peace offering and don't stay away. I'd really like to talk to you..."

 

She yelped in surprise and jumped back when the hanyou leaped down the tree limb and landed in a crouch just in front of her. Kagome was about to yell at him for startling her, but the look of confusion and surprise on his face made her stay quiet. 

 

"You wanna me what?" he asked and Kagome lowered her head. It wasn't the best time to yell at him. The boy was obviously confused and annoyed. She guessed she would be too if someone groped her ears. But was it her fault they were so cute?

 

"I... Uh... I'm sorry for ruining the ritual and grabbing your ears." she said. "I apologize and promise not to impose on your personal space without a permission. Please, don't be angry with me. It all is still so new to me, I feel overwhelmed and could use a friend. I do want to be a good partner, even if I have a lot of these spiritual things to learn... I hope we could be friends and that you’d help me a little?" she glanced up to gauge his reaction and saw the dumbfounded boy staring at her, apparently speechless. But the angry scowl was gone, the boy looked younger when his features weren't set in a look of annoyance. "So... What do you say? Can we do the ritual and be friends, Inuyasha?"

 

He still didn't say anything and Kagome felt her anxiety rise. From her grandfather's stories - that she was now more inclined to believe in - there were many youkai she really would prefer not to have to deal with on her own. Besides, Inuyasha was living in the shrine, it would be better to get along. The thought that she could actually kick him out of her home never came to her mind.

 

She sank to her knees in front of him and pulled a small kitchen knife out of her pocket. She was about to press the tip of the blade to the palm of her hand to make a tiny cut, but before she could do that the knife was snatched out of her hand and embedded to the hilt in the nearest tree that wasn't the Sacred Tree.

 

"You idiot!"

 

Kagome looked up to the angry amber eyes of the youkai, who was gripping her hand in his clawed fingers. 

 

"H-hey!" she exclaimed and glared right back at him. She wanted to do things right, couldn't he help her? 

 

"We're already bound together, wench," the shrine guardian grumbled and let go of her hand, as if realizing only now how tightly he held to it. Awkwardly he turned towards her peace offering and sniffed it.

 

"We are?" Kagome blinked at the boy that grabbed the steaming soup and started to eat it with chopstick he had pulled out of his sleeve. 

 

"Yeah," he confirmed between slurps. "And you better not try to cut yourself in my presence again."

 

"So why didn't you come to the house? Or appeared around? I told you, I'm new to all of this and grandpa is..."

 

"He starts seven stories and never finishes any of them," the hanyou smirked over the top of the almost empty cup. "I guess it makes sense, with you living down in the city."

 

"What makes sense?" Kagome asked as she sat closer to the supernatural being who basically inhaled a whole cup of noodles.

 

"That you don't know shit about being a shrine keeper."

 

"Hey, I know a lot! I know how to cleanse stuff and perform blessings and other things..."

 

"...And nothing about youkai, spirit world or basic survival shit."

 

Kagome was again annoyed by the boy, who was doing a good job of keeping her emotions swaying this way and that. And yet again she didn't have time to yell at him. This time he decided it was the right moment to show her his dog form. One minute there was a boy sitting with his legs crossed, the other there was this huge canine peering down at her. 'I wonder if he would yell at me if I stroked his back...' As soon as she thought that she shook her head, it was better not to touch him so fast after the ear grabbing incident. 

 

'I am,' while she was battling her desire to just run her hands through the abundance of white fluff, the dog got comfortable and looked at the Sacred Tree. 'I'm not used to be around humans. Your ancestors usually called me only when there was work to do. Not many were like the old man who invited me to visit the house from time to time. Besides you looked pretty freaked out, so I figured out to better give you space.'

 

"Oh," Kagome said softly. "I'm sorry. For freaking out and for my ancestors."

 

'Keh! They were warrior priests and killed many youkai, it made sense for them not to grow too close with me,' the dog did something that could be a canine version of a shrug.

 

"But, you know," she smiled softly when the big white head turned her way. "We already established I'm not a warrior priestess. I don't see why you couldn't come to the house whenever you want to. I came here to ask you to come over for the dinner anyway."

 

The shrine guardian stared at her as she outstretched her hand towards him.

 

"We're going to be partners, keeping the shrine and the land safe. Let's be friends," her smile grew wider and hopeful. Maybe her ancestors weren't very friendly towards him, but she was not her ancestors, she honestly didn't want him to feel like she was using him or something. Partners meant equals and she wanted to treat this boy, that was also a youkai, like an equal. 

 

'You,' Inuyasha grumbled. 'Are one crazy wench.'

 

Kagome decided to overlook this comment and giggled when a cool nose brushed against the palm of her hand. The next minute she was alone in the meadow, the empty cup of ramen next to her. 'He didn't say he's going to come,' she thought. 'But he also didn't say he won't.'

 

That was when it hit her - since he had changed his form she had never seen him open his mouth. Did he even have vocal cords attuned to human speech as a dog? And yet she had heard him without any trouble. Another thing she had to ask about later...


	10. The Miko and The Mailman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun! I'm going to write the next chap of Flowers now and boy oh boy will it be cool!  
> Beta: Cstorm86

Kagome walked down the corridor, smiling. After her meeting with Inuyasha the previous evening they all had a nice, even if awkward, dinner. Grandpa had done the most talking. Inuyasha had been more focused on devouring the food with the enthusiasm of a starved man. She had been watching the two men, throwing questions and basically trying to make the hanyou feel welcome. 

Now, she felt as if it was her first day of being a real shrine keeper. From what she gathered from her grandfather's stories most shrines had no guardians like Inuyasha. Not many youkai in the past had felt inclined to accept the life of a guardian, even if they were benevolent. 

She exited the house and was on her way towards the shed where the broom they used to sweep the shrine yard was, when she saw a postman approaching the gate. He waved a hand at her, holding a pack under his arm. 

"Good day," he greeted when Kagome approached him. He had a young. round face with playful dark eyes and a nice smile. A bit on the pudgy side and with a kind expression on his face, he gestured to the pack. "I'm the new postman, I’ve worked in the village for the last month, but I believe I've never meet you before, miss. My name is Takeda Shi and this pack is for Mr. Higurashi."

"Hello," Kagome couldn't help, but smile at the man who stood almost in the shadow of the gate. "I'm Higurashi Kagome, I'm his granddaughter. Can I sign for him, or should I call him?"

"Oh, your signature will suffice," the postman assured her. He was about to hand her.the pad he almost dropped it when a loud bark could be heard. Kagome looked back and saw a big - but not bigger than an akita inu should be - dog running their way, his tail up like a banner, barking and growling. His golden eyes never left the postman, who was looking at him in mixture of shock and uncertainty. 

"Oh, goodness," Kagome gasped. It was shocking to see Inuyasha charging on an innocent human with his teeth bared, even if he was not to his normal height. The dog looked so splendid in the sunlight he seemed to shine like a divine messenger. "Inuyasha, behave!" she scolded and gave the frightened postman a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, he won't bite."

She was actually more than a bit surprised to see the shrine guardian leaving the sanctuary of his forest - she already had labeled him as the type that didn't like to spend much time with others. And she would've never thought he was the type to chase mailman down the driveway.

"Oh... I...Uh," the startled man still looked as if he was seconds from bolting down the shrine steps. Inuyasha meanwhile reached them and bodily forced Kagome to step back, taking the spot in front of her and glaring at the man, daring him to do something Inuyasha wouldn't like. "Let's just..."

He outstretched his hand with the pad and a pen for Kagome to sign the paper. She gave him an apologetic smile, murmured once again for Inuyasha to behave and signed the paper. Then she exchanged the pad for the pack and the man - looking very relieved - bid her good day and turned around to leave.

And that was when Kagome saw his tail.

Fluffy, orange tail with a white tip. sticking out from under the postman's jacket. It visibly fluffed out when the man was walking.

"Stupid dog," he muttered under his breath, barely audibly for Kagome, but apparently well in Inuyasha's hearing range. The dog, that had remained motionless after assuming his position, sprang forward and gave a sharp, but not really that strong, nip to the furry appendage.

The postman yelped in surprise more than in pain. In front of the staring Kagome he spun around and pointed at the canine. 

"You!" he exclaimed and added another, weird word. The air sizzled as a spark shot off of the tip of his finger and hit the dog.

Five minutes later, when the tempers finally cooled down, Kagome looked between the two youkai glaring at each other.

"I'm not here to cause much trouble, miko," the kitsune promised when he noticed her concerned eyes. "I'm in the human world only for a couple of months, to pass my test. 

"Test?" Kagome asked, tilting her head. After retribution for the bite the kitsune had lost his will to fight and Inuyasha was now pouting near her, as if just in case that it was all just a game. 

"Yeah. I want to go up in rank and get a tail," Shi explained with a hopeful smile. "I have to pretend to be a human for half of a year. Please, don't send me back, I will not get a chance to repeat this test for a century. I promise not to cause you any trouble."

Kagome looked to Inuyasha and barely held in a giggle when the fluff ball of curly fur glared at them both. She guessed that if he wasn't attacking the kitsune it was probably fine to agree to his plea. Besides, she had no idea how to 'send him back'. 

"Alright, just remember to behave," she said to the fox, who smiled in relief and bid her good day for the second time before leaving the shrine. This time his tail was tucked safely under his jacket. When he was far enough Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"Um... Do you want me to brush it smooth again or....?" she asked. 

'Feh!' the shrine guardian barked at her and ran off into his forest, not saying a real word.


	11. The Miko and A Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was posted as the prompt for InuKag Week day 6. Still, give it a read and some love.
> 
> And there's going to be the next chapter posted today, so stay tuned!  
> Beta: Cstorm86

The clouds came from the east, from the direction of the ocean. They were thick, heavy and dark, promising a long, strong storm. The wind picked up suddenly, catching Kagome off-guard when she was hanging her laundry in the back of the house. One glance upwards and the miko was hurriedly collecting her damp clothes and relocating them to a drying rack inside the house.

Meanwhile her grandfather closed and secured the gift shop. They both went about preparing the shrine and the house for the storm, moving as fast as they could, putting everything away and making sure all windows and doors were closed as the wind tugged on their clothes. 

Finally they were back inside the house, Kagome preparing flashlights in case there would be no power for a while, her grandfather making tea. A gust of wind hit forcefully against the house and the surrounding forest, the sound of a distant thunder filled the air as it rumbled overhead, echoing off of the mountainside.

That was when Kagome realized something.

"Grandpa?" she asked while closing the drawer containing the flashlights. "Where does Inuyasha stay during a storm? Or during winter?"

"Inuyasha?" the old man shrugged. Kagome thought that maybe he had a home hidden in the forest somewhere, one she hadn't discovered during her visits as a child. "Sometimes, when it's really cold, he uses the shed."

"Don't tell me you mean the shed where you store your work tools and..." Kagome gasped.

"Honey, we have only one shed," the old man reminded her. "Besides, he doesn't like to be around other people or stuck inside for too long and always brags that he doesn't need any 'shelter for weaklings who can't stand the weather'. I tried to convince him to use the attic, but he is as stubborn as a mule, so I just made sure he knew where the spare key to the shed lock was and keep a few blankets there. But during the rainy weather... I mean he can change in his dog form, his fur looks thick enough to keep him warm and dry, especially if he stays in the thicker parts of the forest... And here she went..."

Kagome didn't hear the ending of his comment about Inuyasha's coat. She was already running outside, pulling on a raincoat and putting on her shoes practically without stopping.

She was a miko on a mission.

A recovery mission. A mission to bring to the safety of her house one handsome, gruff dog-eared individual. 

As soon as she ran around the corner of the house a strong wind blew drizzle on her face and pushed her breath back into her lungs. Kagome slowed down a bit before she leaped towards the shelter the trees provided.

Sadly the drizzle changed to a real downpour somewhere in the middle of her mad dash for the forest. Kagome gasped when she felt the cold rain running down her neck, but just a second later she was in the forest, shielded from the rain by the canopy of tree limbs - at least for now. 

"Inuyasha!" she called, but at the same moment a thunder rolled overhead, much louder now. The shadows of the trees danced when the light flooded the area for a second. "Uh, this was not that far... Inuyasha!"

After the intense light blinked in and out of existence the world seemed even darker than it had before with the low, thick clouds obscuring the sky. Kagome followed the path towards the Sacred Tree, hoping Inuyasha would be there. 

As she ran, calling out Inuyasha's name, the forest shook around her with every powerful gust of wind. Thunders were rumbling, but luckily the bolts of electricity were hitting the mountainside higher or not touching the ground at all. Here and there, where tree limbs were less thickly intertwined, rain was reaching the forest floor and Kagome's hair was already damp and sticking to her face and neck. Good thing her raincoat was keeping her warm and dry. 

Inuyasha wasn't under the Sacred Tree, but from that place she could sense his youki somewhere deeper in the forest, so she decided to find him and drag him by his tail to the warmth and safety of the house. The forest wasn't a good place to spend a storm, she knew because she wasn't enjoying being there. The wind was whistling in the treetops, breaking weaker or dry branches, shaking the leaves loud enough that Kagome feared the boy wouldn't hear her.

The forest was harder to wander through, since there was no path to follow, just empty spaces between bushes and trees. But Kagome didn't turn back, stubbornly making her way forward, grabbing branches for support and stumbling over the roots, calling out the name of the shrine guardian. 

In her imagination she could see the boy in red, his bare feet cold and covered in mud and dry leaves, his white hair hanging in wet ropes and sticking to his blue skin, his cute little ears droopy and miserable.

She was the shrine owner now and she refused to let anyone of her household to stay out in this kind of weather while she could do something about it.

"Inu-!" she called. At the same time she heard a loud crack, much different from the whip snaps of the lightnings, as if whatever was cracking could actually wail in pain. She didn't have time to look up, because something hit her and tackled her to the muddy and rough ground, pushing her breath out of her lungs.

'Dumbass!' Kagome looked up and had the pleasure of seeing Inuyasha's impressive fangs mere centimeters away from her face. The next thing she saw was a pair of blazing golden eyes of an irate youkai. The dog's snout moved back and upwards, granting the girl the view of the rest of the world.

The huge canine stood on wide spread legs, shaking off bits of bark and pieces of wood which had been a dry branch that had almost hit her. Kagome carefully moved to sit up and reached a hand to touch the fluffed out ruff on Inuyasha's chest, prompting him to look down at her again, his ears twitching in annoyance.

"I was looking for you," she said. 

'Why? There is no youkai or any other trouble,' the dog guardian grumbled. 'You should stay at home during a storm, not wander aimlessly through the forest.'

"But... But I wanted to bring you home. It's not fair for you to stay here when you could be dry and have some tea and snacks with me and grandpa. We could play Go," Kagome said, throwing in the promise of the game. From what she knew from her grandfather Inuyasha liked to play, even if the guardian was too proud to admit he enjoyed it himself.

The dog looked at her with his head tilted in a classic 'puzzled puppy' expression. A thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance and Kagome saw that his ears pressed against his skull, his body shook visibly as if he felt cold. 

'Go home,' he barked at her. Kagome gripped his fur tighter.

"Go with me."

'Keh! I don't need to hide from some wind and rain! You, on the other hand, should go back and change clothes,' the dog lifted his nose in the air in defiance. This time she felt him shake when the next thunder boomed overhead.

'I bet he would growl at me if I pointed out he's trembling,' she thought. He was part dog youkai, Kagome guessed that his hearing was as good as any dog's. That meant that the sound of a thunder was more unpleasant to him than it was to her.

"But... Do you have a safe place to stay?" she asked. There was no use to argue with him, she had to come up with a plan to lure him home. But she doubted she could just simply fake a twisted ankle. He had trust issues, it was better not to give him any reason to doubt her word.

'Keh! Stop pestering me and go home!'

"Alright, but you have to carry me. The ground is slippery and I barely can see anything, I'd trip and hurt myself," Kagome said sourly as she looked around the darkened forest. The dog guardian sighed and lowered himself until his belly almost touched the forest floor.

Kagome tried not to look too smug when she climbed on top of the canine. His fur was wet, but only on top, it was also thick and so soft... Without thinking she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her cheek in the divine softness.

'Don't get too comfy,' Inuyasha grumbled and dashed between the trees swiftly approaching the edge of the forest. His steps were smooth and the feeling of the cool wind made her push her face in his fur more. In a few more leaps he was in front of the home. He barked to get her attention, but Kagome just held on tighter, her legs wrapped around his body as well. 'Oi! Let go!'

"Come to wait the storm out inside?" Kagome replied, her voice like steel. She had him just in front of the house, she wasn't going to let him prance back in that dark, wet forest. The dog shook himself, but she held on tight.

He growled in annoyance. 'I told you I don't need...'

A lightningbolt struck nearby.

Kagome smiled at her grandfather standing in the kitchen door when Inuyasha, now in his humanoid form,slid the door behind them. The old man returned the smile and went to fetch them dry towels and one damped in warm water for Inuyasha's feet.

It was just when she watched him wipe his feet off that Kagome realized that she had rode on this boy's back after basically tricking him to carry her home.


	12. The Miko and the Trio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised - two chapters up :D   
> Beta: Cstorm86

Kagome waited for her brother and friends to reach the shrine gate. Her mother was parking the car near the garage, but Souta wanted to give the three girls the chance to approach the shrine from the front. Kagome guessed he wanted to drag them up the steps leading to the main gate of the shrine, since coming from the side gate would be easier and didn't require climbing dozens of steps. As the future soccer star Souta was more than prepared to take the stairs on without even breaking a sweat. From the flushed faces of the girls following him it was easy to see they hadn't that stamina. 

"Hey, Kagome!" Eri panted out. "Your brother is a wicked one!"

"Serves you right for neglecting exercises and eating in WacDonald's so often," Ayumi giggled, a tad out of breath herself.

"Kagome!" Yuka waved her hand excitedly, albeit without her usual energy. "You look great!"

"Thanks!" Kagome dropped the end of the sleeve of her miko attire she had been playing with and smiled. The next minute she was hugging Eri and Ayumi. "So good to see you, guys!"

"Well, you look like you're already growing into your job," Ayumi gave Kagome a once over and winked. "Can we get a tour, lady miko?"

"A slowly-paced one," Eri added with a chuckle.

"Sure!" Kagome turned and stepped away from the gate, leading them across the shrine grounds to the first stop, that was the small building with a fountain where the visitors could wash their hands and mouth. Right now there was no more people around, only a couple of old ladies crowded by the gift shop and talking to her grandfather. "I mean grandpa could give you a snail-pace tour, but you'd have to endure the extended story of the shrine and a bunch of legends on top of that."

The whole group laughed, Souta and Kagome had warned the trio about their grandfather's storyteller streak.

"Are there any handsome guys visiting you here?" Eri asked. Kagome almost tripped over her own zori and cast her an incredulous glance.

"Or maybe you have an attractive single shrine helper around here, you know..." Yuka wiggled her eyebrows.

"And with that Souta is officially done here!" Souta chuckled. "I better stay away from the girl talk."

"No, Souta, don't leave me with them!" Kagome called after her brother, but he was already running towards the house, laughing. Kagome could feel three shadows behind her back, three pairs of eyes looking straight at the back of her head.

"Soo...?" Eri hummed. "Any hotties digging in the miko style?"

"Eri!" Kagome waved a hand towards her robes, "It's a shrine, not a mall, even if someone handsome comes here I won't just go up to hum and ask for his number!"

"You wouldn't do that even in a mall," Yuka teased.

"It's because you already have a sweetheart. It's so cute you're staying so faithful to Hojo," Ayumi clasped her hands and they all giggled.

"For the record - I'm not staying faithful to Hojo. Now go cleanse yourselves if you want to go and pray to the gods before we go to the house. I have ice cream in the fridge," Kagome pointed to the little building behind them. "I will tell you the whole story of the kamainu guarding the shrine for teasing me!" she called after the trio, who just giggled at her. 

It actually was an interesting story, since the shrine guardians carved from stone and standing guard before the shrine entrance had been given to the shrine by a samurai lord as a token of his gratitude after Inuyasha had saved him and his family. They resembled Inuyasha's huge dog form, with their ruffs fluffed out and fierce gaze piercing everyone who approached the shrine. 

Of course, Kagome knew that if she told them about Inuyasha they wouldn't believe her, thinking it was but a legend to make the donation sound more special. There was also little chance of Inuyasha actually presenting himself to back the tale and give it legitimacy, the hanyou seemed too wild and antisocial, too wary of people to actually show his face around humans. 

'Not mentioning the harpies would swarm him and demand his phone number,' Kagome thought as she watched the girls washing their hands and mouth. 'After all, he's pretty handsome, as a boy and as a dog.

She imagined the trio rubbing his dog ears and demanding a ride on the white dog or asking the flustered boy various questions while invading his personal space. It was amusing, yes, but she found herself not liking the idea of the trio teasing him - or her later on. 

Little did she know that a pair of pale eyes was observing her from afar, frowning.


	13. A Boy and a Well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun, guys!  
> Beta: Cstorm86

After inspecting the perimeter of the shrine 'in search for hunks' the girls finally let Kagome lead them home. They all ate together and Kagome had to answer dozens of her mom's questions - the first being if she felt safe so far from the civilization. Her grandfather was no help, just smirking and playing dumb if he got a question. Then he started to tell stories of kappa living in a stream running near the shrine grounds and wolf youkai pestering people of the next mountain and the dinner was over in less than five minutes.

The four friends spread extra beds on the floor of Kagome's room, because they firmly declined the offer of sleeping anywhere else, claiming it was the last chance for a long time to have a sleepover together, since both Yuka and Ayumi were going to move out of the city to go to college, and Eri was going to start working in her uncle's store next week.

Kagome was immensely thankful that the trio came to visit her, even if they were teasing her about all sorts of things. With them in her room, despite it looking so different from her old one in her mother's house, she felt as if she was a schoolgirl again. They talked about their plans for the future, a bit about their classmates and boys, shared little stories for hours, until the other girls finally fell asleep.

For some reason Kagome couldn't sleep. She rolled on her side and looked at the shadowy room, listening to the three girls' breathing.

Something was wrong, but she couldn't put a finger to it.

She was pretty tired and wanted to fall asleep, but something was bothering her, like a hair under her shirt. She focused on the odd feeling, trying to name it.

It was a bit like sensing the air pressure shifting, as if a change of weather was coming. Kagome frowned, trying to think if she had felt this feeling before, but before she could search her memory, she heard a sound outside of her bedroom door. Her eyes, that she hadn't realized had been closed, opened and she looked at the doorway. Someone was walking down the corridor. She tilted her head, so she could listen with both her ears. It wasn't her grandpa, the person was moving too fast.

Kagome decided to get up and carefully navigated through her room not to step on her friends. No matter if it was her mom or Souta, she hoped that talking to the mystery person would help her feel better. The feeling of something pressing against her skin was getting more and more annoying.

She felt a bit like a spy following an unsuspecting target, despite the fact that it was her home and her family member. She slid the door open and carefully sneaked out of the room, so not to wake her friends up. A moment of careful listening revealed that whoever it was ahead of her was now in the living room, which was odd, to say the least. There was no food there and the bathroom was on the other side of the house. She managed to get to the bottom of the stairs when she felt a gust of crisp night air against her ankles, a clear indicator that the shoji to the engawa was slid open in the room. Bewildered and curious she peeked through the door to find the room empty and dark, the only source of light being the faint glow from outside.

She crept towards the light, carefully avoiding any furniture on her way, then she poked her head out and looked around. Just in time to see Souta and someone else entering the old well house. What was he doing there, in the middle of the night? His companion wore clothes easily blending in with the shadows, their form not bigger than her brother's. Frowning, Kagome stepped outside and made her way to the ancient building. It didn't store anything special, just an old, dry well that had a few slips of paper with sealing spells on the dusty lid. Some shrine visitors were sometimes stepping in to take photos or just admire the place, but in Kagome's opinion it wasn't as pretty as the main shrine or the forest.

As she approached the sturdy, plain-looking building, Kagome could hear someone talking inside - it wasn't her brother's voice, but one belonging to a girl. She was talking in a monotone voice, calm and soothing. The feeling of something being amiss intensified when she heard the girl speak.

"...Good... Now the southern seal..." A pause, silence filled with shuffling of feet. "Western seal..."

Kagome decided that whoever it was and whatever she was doing with Souta, it was definitely not to her liking. It sounded like the two were doing something to the old ofudas put on the well by her grandfather or even great grandfather. Without thinking much about it she stepped inside, determined to tell the girl and her brother that they were in big trouble, because she was going to tell her mom and the girl's parents what they had been doing.

"Hey!" she started.

And that was when she lost her voice, her next words stuck in her throat, her eyes widening in shock and fear. The feeling of something being wrong intensified and now she knew what was wrong.

Souta was standing by the well, his face passive and emotionless as he idly stood there, his hand holding a few slips of paper which had to be the ancient seals. But the sight of him was only mildly unsettling in comparison to what lurked in the shadow behind him.

A girl... Or rather something that looked like an unassuming girl with short dark hair and empty eyes. She had no nose or brows and her dark lips seemed to be too long for a human. Something told Kagome that she had rows of thin fangs hidden behind those lips. The creature held a doll in her hands. The air around her felt thicker somehow. There was only one supernatural being she had ever seen in her entire life, but Kagome had no doubt in her heart that the girl was a youkai.

As Kagome stared at the girl she smiled at her with her too wide mouth, revealing that indeed, she had teeth like no human should have. Souta reached for the last slip of paper placed on the wooden lid of the well slowly as if in a daze, as if he wasn't aware what stood behind him. Kagome couldn't imagine how someone could turn their back at something so disturbing.

"Souta!" Kagome called and outstretched her hand and took a brave step forward, knowing that there was no way she could reach her brother in time to stop him or grab him and run away from that eerily smiling being behind him before the youkai attacked them. Still, she wouldn't be herself, if she just did nothing. A sudden light flashed before her spread fingers, blinding her for a second. When the light faded the girl, now scowling, stood deeper in the shadows and Souta was swaying on his feet, holding the last slip of paper in his hand.

"Ah! Stay out of this, miko, or the brat dies!" the youkai girl called. Her voice sounded angry and a bit too high-pitched.

"What? Please, don't..." Kagome gasped for air, feeling her knees shake and a block of ice appear in her belly. She didn't look away from her brother, who now held all the ancient seals. What was the girl going to do to him? What could she do to save him? What was that light and why did she suddenly feel dizzy on top of being frightened?

"Yeah, miko, stay outta this," grumbled a voice from behind her and a man in red grabbed her shoulder to roughly push her out of the well house. She stumbled on her weak legs and barely avoided falling down the stairs.

"Hey!" Kagome had enough time to call and look back at Souta pushing the lid of the well off of it before the door slid shut.

"What do you want, mongrel?" Kagome froze with her hand on the door frame when she heard the girl's voice again. "This human is mine and I don't have time to play with you. Hey! I need this!"

Kagome slid the door open just in time to face the growling Inuyasha holding her unconscious brother. The hanyou pushed the boy in her arms. Kagome barely had time to grab him before almost collapsing under his limp weight.

"Stay," Inuyasha barked and closed the door again. Almost at the same time something hit the wooden surface not a meter away from them. The thud was immediately followed by a growled curse, a sound of something crashing and a howl of anger and pain - luckily it didn't sound like Inuyasha. The sounds of struggle were growing louder, accompanied by yelled curses and growling. She would've assumed Inuyasha shifted to his dog form, but as a dog he couldn't curse aloud.

No matter which shape he was in, it sounded like he was handling the supernatural issue pretty well, so Kagome decided that maybe it'd be best to leave it to him and focus on Souta. After all, what could she do to fight a youkai?

Kagome looked down to her brother's pale face. His eyes were still closed, but he was breathing and didn't look hurt. Something hit the door again and slid to the ground with a wet noise. Kagome carefully half-carried half-dragged her brother away before the door collapsed on both of them. As she laid the boy in the cool grass, Souta gasped and opened his eyes.

"K-Kagome!" he gripped her hands with desperation. "She's a monster!"

"Shh, it's okay, Souta, you're safe now," Kagome said, hoping that she sounded soothing. Seeing Souta awake and unhurt caused a wave of relief to wash over her. Souta flinched when something crashed inside the well-house again, followed by a yell and then eerie silence. She swallowed and touched his cheek to keep his attention on herself. Her fingers shook a bit. "It's okay. A friend will get rid of the monster."

"Uh... Okay..." her brother still held her other hand like it was his safe-line. He slowly nodded, swallowing and inhaling deeply, just like she did. The door of the little building slid open with a loud thud and they both jumped in fear and surprise. Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha standing in the doorway.

"She ran away. Get the seals from the kid and reseal the well before something crosses to this side," the hanyou grumbled. In the moonlight his red kimono was almost black. So were the tips of his fingers and a splash of something smeared across the side of his face. Kagome heard her brother gasp and she glanced back at him to see him staring at the hanyou with eyes big as saucers and jaw hanging. The look on his face wasn't terrified it was more like awe and fear mixed together.

"It's okay, Souta, don't be afraid," Kagome soothed. "I can explain..."

"No time for that now!" Inuyasha leaped from the doorway to where they sat on the grass. "Oi, kid, give her the seals now!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded the shrine guardian. "Be gentle with him, he just got..."

"I'm not kidding, wench, if we don't put the seals back we will have the whole shrine grounds swarming with youkai," They both glared at each other for a second. The hanyou's ears were twitching in annoyance and his scowl was the deepest she had ever seen. "You can take your sweet time with the brat when it's over. Now move."

With that he stood up, towering over the two humans like a pillar of red agitation. Kagome gave a small nod, realizing that he was right, she had to do whatever he wanted her to do before she could take care of Souta. After all having youkai running around the place didn't sound appealing. Carefully she extracted the old papers from Souta's grasp - the boy was still staring mutely at Inuyasha - and stood up.

"Okay, just tell me what to do," the last word was a squeak of surprise, because the shrine guardian grabbed her hand and pulled her after himself with inhuman speed. The well-house stairs - both external and inside the building - flashed before her eyes and she stopped in front of the well. The lid was already back in place, even if one corner of it was missing and was replaced by a fragment of one of the steps' planks. She looked up to see Inuyasha observing her, his foot impatiently tapping the ground. "What now?"

She expected him to insult her lack of knowledge, as he did before. She was supposed to be a shrine keeper and know things, but she had a lot to learn. He sighed and pointed at the well.

"Put those on the lid. It won't be as effective as a real sealing, but it will hold for now. You have to circle the well clockwise."

He sounded annoyed, but he didn't wasting time on insulting her for not knowing what to do, which was nice. There was a sense of urgency in his voice and he didn't look away from the well, as if expecting it to explode or something. Kagome did as he said, walking around the well on stiff legs. Each seal glowed a soft pink light for a second after being placed on the wood, but beside that nothing else happened. When she put the last seal on its place she turned again to the hanyou for more directions.

He smirked at her and walked up to the doors. It was then that she saw that he was limping.

"Inuyasha..." she started.

"Keh. I dealt with the youkai. Now you deal with the humans," he said as he glanced back at her and then jumped away with slightly less grace than usual.

It took her a second to realize what he meant by that. She could hear multiple voices coming closer and she remembered Souta was still sitting in front of the well-house.

"Oh, dear..."


	14. The Miko and the Kotodama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post it a bit later, but decided to do it today, since you all had to wait so long for updates.   
> Beta: Cstorm86

"It was a youkai attack," Kagome's grandfather told her three friends with a nod. "Those things happen sometimes."

The trio looked at him as if he was a bit insane and Kagome quickly waved her hands at them to draw their attention.

"Grandpa means that there was a burglar that tried to rob the shrine," she said. The girls nodded, accepting the more logical, even if untrue, explanation.

They all sat around the kitchen table, while Mama was putting Souta to bed upstairs and making sure that he was okay. Kagome just prayed he wouldn't tell her mother about Inuyasha. It wasn't like she didn't want her mother to know about the shrine guardian, but she guessed he was more or less a secret only the shrine keepers were supposed to know. She tightened her hold on the glass of tea her grandfather had put in front of her and took a sip of the hot drink, trying to find a way to not only calm herself after the rather shocking events in the well-house, but also soothe her friends, who had came to investigate the said happenings after hearing the ruckus of youkai battle.

"That's terrible," Yuka said. "Shouldn't we call the police?"

'Maybe it wasn't the best idea...' Kagome thought and tried to smile warmly.

"Oh, no, no need to do that," she said hurriedly before the trio could think about that option for too long. "A friend's taking care of this."

"The shrine guardian," Kagome's neck almost snapped when she turned her head to look at her grandfather. 'Grandpa! Not helping!' Her cheeks paled at the look in Eri's eyes.

"A friend, huh?" Eri asked and leaned closer to nudge Kagome's shoulder. "Is it a male friend maybe...?"

"Well, well, Higurashi, a security officer, hmm?" Yuka poked Kagome's other shoulder. Kagome felt like her face suddenly caught fire. "In an uniform..."

"He doesn't have an uniform!" Kagome exclaimed, almost spilling her tea. Her hand flew to cover her mouth, but it was too late. She stared, wide-eyed, at her three friends, all grinning like kitsune from old stories.

"Oh... So he's a he..." Ayumi giggled. Kagome shook her head with new energy. 'How could things go so wrong so fast?' She glared at her grandfather, who peacefully sipped his tea, that traitor.

"Girls, please, it's not like what you think..." Kagome pleaded in vain. She tried the mature, calm approach and hoped they would do the same.

"You will have to introduce us some time." Yuka grinned.

"She means: soon," Eri added.

"Girls, we shouldn't force them. Let them decide when they want to make their relationship official," Ayumi said in a soothing voice. "I'm sure when they're ready, they'll tell us, right, Kagome?"

'Relationship...? Gods, help me... They think I have a secret boyfriend or what?'

Luckily, the gods were listening, since at that very moment Kagome's mom entered the kitchen. She held a rolled cloth that looked like Souta's pajama shirt. As she spoke she put it on the counter.

"Alright, Souta is asleep now," she said and looked at everyone with a smile that did wonders to ease Kagome's nerves. "And if everything is...taken care of, we all should go to sleep too. It's still a few hours before dawn and, believe me, we all will feel much better after some rest."

"Good idea, Mrs Higurashi," Ayumi nodded and stood up.

"Yeah," Eri followed her and glanced at Kagome. "Are you going?"

"Um..." Kagome realized she was the last one seated by the table. "I will go check up on something real quick and go to sleep to. Go ahead, guys, I will be upstairs soon." As soon as her mother had spoke about taking care of things Kagome remembered how Inuyasha had limped up the stairs in the well-house. It would be best to go check on the guy. She could just hope she'd find him in the forest, where he was probably hiding.

The girls said their good nights and went out of the kitchen, leaving the three Higurashi family members alone. Calmly, Kagome's mother gathered the empty glasses from the table and carried them to the sink to wash.

"Is the boy alright?" the old shrine keeper asked. Kagome stood up and went for the cabinet where the first aid kit was stored, moving quietly and waiting for her mom's answer.

"Yes, he's okay," Mama said. "He told me the most outlandish story. I was going to assume he was sleepwalking and it was just his dream, but... Kagome, can you look at the shirt I brought?

"Uh, yeah, mom," Kagome gulped and reached for the said article. As she lifted it up it unfolded and she gasped, her stomach twisting.

There was something brown smeared on the back of the shirt, close to the collar. It looked roughly like a hand, the fabric pierced and torn where fingertips of the hand were pressed into the material.

It looked like a hand had gripped and tugged at the shirt, ripping it. A bloodied hand.

'Inuyasha...' Kagome thought, thinking about that moment when he pushed her unconscious brother into her arms and closed the door before fighting the creepy girl. She thought about the dark spots on his clothing and face after the battle.

"It's not Souta's and you are unharmed as well," she heard her mother speak. "So I want to know what happened? Should I believe in a story about a youkai and a super hero coming to my son's rescue?"

Kagome turned her head to look at her mother. She appeared calm and curious, concerned, but also patient and trusting her to give her answers. Kagome glanced to her grandfather, who smiled warmly in encouragement, clearly leaving her alone to explain everything to her mom. 'Oh, so now I can tell what happened, huh?'

"Mom..." Kagome started. Should she hide the shrine guardian's presence from her family? According to her grandfather usually only the shrine keepers and other reiki users knew Inuyasha. It was both to protect the hanyou and to keep him from scaring other members of the family. Kagome doubted that her mom would be a threat or be afraid of the boy, even if he was a youkai. And Souta already had seen him. Maybe it was the right time to change this family tradition as well? It sure could help Inuyasha if he could be more social and walk around the shrine freely during her family visits. Keeping a secret from her closest ones and alienating the boy didn't feel right for her, even if for generations only a handful of people knew about his existence. "Um... Souta was speaking the truth. Mostly."

"Mostly?" her mom tilted her head. "How so?"

"When I woke up Souta was going to the well-house. I followed him and when I came there, there was a creepy youkai girl that was controlling him and making him take off the seals on the well there. I wanted to stop her, but she threatened to hurt Souta. Then Inuyasha showed up and saved us, and fought the youkai until she fled," Kagome said it all almost on one breath, fearing that if she stopped to think about this, she'd lose her courage.

"And Inuyasha is... who exactly?" her mother asked when Kagome took a breath. The air left Kagome's lungs in a sigh. How was she going to explain to her mother the existence of a supernatural being without sounding like an insane person?

"You can call him," Kagome's grandfather spoke suddenly. The young miko turned to look at him and saw him smiling warmly at her. He gave a nod when he saw her puzzled expression. "Just call for him and he will come."

"But... He always does all he can to avoid being seen, doesn't he?" Kagome asked. It would look even worse if she screamed in the night and the shrine guardian refused to show up.

"If you use kotodama he will come," the girl now looked as puzzled as her mother. "He won't be able to fight your will for long if you call him by his true name. Usually you have to be given the name by the one who uses it, but in this case it works when the previous shrine keeper tells you it."

Kagome's mind jumped to the memory from not that long ago when her grandfather introduced her to the hanyou under the Sacred Tree. Was it real? Could she give him orders by using his name? Would it force him to do things he didn't like every time she called him by his name? 'Nah, I called him by his name before and he didn't seem affected, so maybe it works if I do it intentionally...' She made a mental note to ask about it later.

"Just don't use it too often, he gets pretty cranky," the old man chuckled.

Kagome smiled at him and her mother, who was still patiently listening to them. Then she walked to the shoji leading to the engawa and opened it.

"Inuyasha!" she called quietly out loud and in her mind, imagining herself tugging at the beaded necklace he wore around his neck to get his attention.

Too bad that Inuyasha had been eavesdropping on the roof above the kitchen porch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's going to happen now? Will Kagome's mom freak out? Will Inuyasha pout about the kotodama being used by Kagome?


	15. The Mom and the Ears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Cstorm86

'Kotodama is such a powerful technique,' the old shrine keeper thought as he watched the shrine guardian trying to pull himself out of the pile of dislocated and broken roof tiles and wooden planks that had been the engawa railing just a minute ago. The old man was sure of one thing - deciding to retire and to hand the shrine to Kagome had been the best decision of his life, now he was never going to be bored. With the ancient, anti-social hanyou and his granddaughter becoming the new shrine keeper things were sure going to be entertaining.

And, since Kagome had grown away from the shrine and the rigid life of a traditional shrine miko, she was not willing to keep the hanyou in seclusion. Grandpa hoped that the sudden exposure to new view of life presented by the girl would influence the boy in a good way. She was going to continue his work. Grandpa looked at his daughter-in-law, who was staring at the shrine guardian in stunned silence.

"Oh, goodness!" Kagome exclaimed and jumped towards the boy. "Are you okay?"

"Why did you do that?" he groaned and shook his head before looking up at the girl who knelt beside him. Kagome gasped when she saw a trail of fresh blood trickling down the side of his face from his cut temple. Kagome barely could believe that it was her actions that brought the hanyou down. But there was no other explanation for the agile and strong youkai to just tumble down the roof like that. And the beaded necklace around his neck was radiating a fading light, one similar to the light emitted from her hand before, in the well-house. 'I guess it's what my reiki looks like... I really shouldn't've done that tugging thing...'

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha... I didn't mean to..." Kagome outstretched a hand towards him. He scowled at her. But then he looked to the side and Kagome was confused for a moment before she turned her head and saw her mother standing in the shoji, a hand raised to her chest, her eyes never looking away from the wealth of white hair practically glowing against the darkness of the night.

"See what you did?" Inuyasha growled softly. "I am not to be seen by outsiders! Otherwise they freak out and..."

"Mom?" Kagome asked, ignoring for now the complaining boy, who fell silent anyway when the middle-aged woman stepped forward like in a daze. Kagome watched her mother's other hand lift towards the hanyou, who tensed and looked like he was ready to spring away. Yellow eyes studied the approaching human warily, as if waiting for any sign of hostility.

The hand brushed the shaggy bangs aside.

"Does it hurt much?" Kagome blinked when she heard her mother speak with the same warm tone she always used around her and Souta when they were injured. Inuyasha's jaw almost hit the ground as he stared, wide eyed, at the human leaning over him and smiling kindly. "Come inside, we need to put an ice bag on this, otherwise it will bruise."

"K-keh! I'm a youkai!" he exclaimed, half in defiance, half in shock. Kagome, if she was honest with herself, was pretty amazed by the way her mother was handling the supernatural.

"Of course you are. Now, come in and let me see your temple. I'm sure youkai get bruised as well," mama reached up and did something even Kagome hadn't had courage to do yet (but really wanted to do), she playfully tweaked the rapidly twitching ear of the shrine guardian. Then she turned back to the kitchen to find an ice bag.

Kagome looked after her before glancing to Inuyasha. She gasped when she saw his golden eyes mere centimeters away from her face, watching her intently.

"Your mother is nuts?" he half-asked, half-declared with the look of pure confusion and befuddlement on his face. When he tilted his head ever so slightly Kagome couldn't help herself. She gave a giggle and tugged at one cocked canine ear. It was soft and tickled her skin like a butterfly when it twitched.

"She's a Higurashi," she said and smiled widely and allowed the hanyou to lean away from her touch,. "I don't want you to hide away when my family visits. Just make sure no one except Higurashis see your cute ears and that you're a youkai and you can roam the shrine grounds no matter who's around."

She stood up and walked towards the brightly lit kitchen, but looked back at the hanyou when she didn't hear him move.

Golden eyes were looking at her with an odd shine to them. She felt her cheeks getting hotter and wondered what was that look, but before she could ask, he blinked and looked to the side.

"Keh! What a crazy shrine keeper you are, wench!" he barked. "A-and you better not touch my ears!"

"Kagome?" she could hear her mother's voice from inside. "Can you and your cute youkai friend come in? I found the ice bag and if he wants to I can make him some ramen as a thank you for saving my children tonight."

"Coming!" Kagome called and returned to Inuyasha's side to grab his hand and practically drag the hanyou inside.

If she was going to be the shrine keeper and his mistress, she could be on her own terms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review if you see fit.


	16. The Miko and the Terrible Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post this as a separate chapter, but I figured out it'll be very long for you all to wait for an update and the chapter will be too big, so yeah. Surprise and enjoy!  
> And as always thanks to my lovely beta, Cstorm86

Next morning Kagome woke feeling as if she slept only a few minutes. Briefly she wondered if maybe she'd feel better not going back to bed after all the events of the last night.

Her mother had treated the hanyou's cut temple, despite the shrine guardian's grumbling and complaining all the time. As soon as her mother had turned her back on her patient the hanyou had bolted for the safety of the forest. It was then, as Kagome had watched him go, that she had remembered about his battle wounds and limping step from before. She had tried to call him back to check up on those injuries, but her grandpa had stopped her, saying that all Inuyasha had needed was some peace and quiet to rest and recover.

Then her mother came to her side and had told her that she would ask some questions, the next day. That had marked the end of the kitchen meeting and Kagome had gone upstairs to sneak back to her room and under her blankets to get some much needed sleep.

And now she was woken up by a hand gripping her shoulder and shaking her.

"What?" she grumbled groggily as she opened her eyes. The room was full of fresh air and light provided by the opened screen to the engawa. In the light she could see the three girls hovering over her like three bloodthirsty oni.

"Who is he?" they all asked in excited unison.

"Who is who?" Kagome was still too asleep to realize what they were talking about. They already knew her grandfather and brother. Ayumi stood in a Disney princess in love pose with her hands clasped in front of her and eyes unfocused while smiling widely. Yuka and Eri pointed to the outside. All three were still in their pajamas, so it hadn't been long since they were awake. Kagome sighed and crawled out of her futon to go and see what the three wanted. Maybe later she could send them downstairs to make some breakfast so she could get some more sleep? She felt so tired, her limbs heavy and her eyes itching. As she walked the trio went after her.

When she entered the engawa wrapped around this floor of the house like a balcony, she heard some hammering. Frowning in confusion she followed the sound, the three oni giggling behind her for some reason.

Finally Kagome got to a corner in the house and walked past it. And what she saw almost made her fall over the railing.

A foot was hanging over the edge of the roof. It was a very nice foot, rather big and with muscular anke attached to it. One could predict that the shin that was higher was well-defined as well, but that part of the leg was obscured by the fabric of red hakama cuffed right above the ankle.

As if sensing Kagome's stunned gaze on it, the shy foot disappeared behind the roof mere seconds after being spotted. Kagome gaped at the spot where it had been just a moment ago before realizing that the sound of hammering stopped. She cleared her throat and put her hands on the railing.

"Um... Hi?" she addressed the empty space and came closer to the spot where the roof overhead was almost fixed with new tiles. She noticed four deep claw marks across the railing where the shrine guardian had tried to stop his fall the previous night. In the silence she barely heard a soft scoff from above her head and she looked up to see a flash of golden eyes and nails stuck in the mouth of the individual peering carefully down at her. A strand of silver hair floated down over the edge of the roof.

"Wanna a cup of ramen for breakfast?" she inquired after a second. A hand was thrust over the edge of the roof. It was a sinewy, lean arm, with long fingers - two of them were curled up while three were spread as if to make sure that she saw them all. "Three cups?"

"Keh!" a sound almost too soft to hear floated down from the top of the roof. She smiled and stepped back from the railing. Then she turned around.

Three girls' heads were sticking out from behind the corner of the house. Ayumi was on the bottom, with a wide dreamy smile. Yuka and Eri were both looking extremely curious and a bit amused.

For a second Kagome was majorly tempted to run away along the engawa or to call Inuyasha for help, but instead she just straightened her back and started walking towards her room, planning on changing out of her pajama and going downstairs to work on the breakfast.

"Kagome..." Of course first she had to survive the trio's curiosity. At least they waited until they all were behind the corner of the house and the hammering resumed. "So, who is the mystery guy?"

"Is he hot?" asked Yuka.

"Or is this the security officer per chance?" Ayumi looked back when the hammering stopped for a long moment. Kagome briefly wondered if Inuyasha could still hear them. "Will you introduce us?

"Girls!" she lifted her hands in a placating gesture. She really hadn't thought about a way to explain stuff to her friends and now they were all talking and asking questions, and it was all before the first cup of tea. "Just..."

"Is he single? Or is he off-limits?" Yuka pressed, backed by Eri asking more similar questions. Ayumi was just giving her the starved puppy when you open a dog food can look. The young shrine keeper's mouth moved for a second when she tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn't be weird and that would make them not go all seductively on the poor shrine guardian. She had this suspicion he'd bolt in a blink of an eye and never come back if any of them tried to flirt with him.

"He's my boyfriend!" Kagome exclaimed.

In the silence that fell after this declaration Kagome heard the hammer hit one last time and then slide off the tiles of the roof and probably all the way to the ground.

Without thinking too much Kagome fleed tot he bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Kagome gave Inuyasha the permission to walk around the shrine ground while other people are there, as long as his youkai nature stays hidden. That probably wasn't the smartest move, since the three easily excitable friends are staying for the weekend. Will Kagome's bold confession stop them from hunting the poor shrine guardian down or will it only encourage them to make sure he was worth being Kagome's beau?


	17. The Miko Thinks Out Loud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Cstorm86

Kagome heaved a long, suffering sigh and then took a few deep breaths to take in the serenity of Inuyasha's Forest, She quickly entered the welcoming serenity of the woods, carefully carrying a lidded pot.

Past hour had been pure hell. 

Not only had her friends been pestering her for details on her 'secret relationship', but her mother and grandfather - upon being told the news - had been teasing her mercilessly at the breakfast.

The only good thing had been that Inuyasha had been absent to hear all that. She didn't dare to imagine what it'd be like to survive breakfast with the shrine guardian right there. 

'The lengths I go to save your fuzzy ears," she thought as she entered the meadow. She was there to bring Inuyasha his promised ramen - all three cups poured into a pot for easier transportation. She still wasn't sure her hasty confession would really help to keep the girls away from the hanyou. But she hoped it'd be enough and that the skittish boy would not be assaulted by them trying to get to know him better. They would never try to hit on her boyfriend, it wouldn't be right. 

But a part of her still yelled at her for calling Inuyasha her boyfriend. They barely knew each other and the boy was probably thinking she was nuts!

"Inuyasha?" she called out in the dappled sunlight of the greens and browns of the forest. The glen looked so otherworldly, so peaceful, she felt better by just breathing the fragrant air smelling of plants and earth. She wasted a moment to just soak in the atmosphere and felt as if the tiredness and tension were washing off of her. For a second she found inner peace, leaving the worries and uncertainties away. 

'Here,' the great canine walked out from behind a thick tree, he approached her slowly stepping between the little flowers scattered in the grass and leaves that made up the floor of the meadow. His nose twitched towards the pot in her hands and his long tail wagged, flattening plants as it swayed side to side. 'Food!'

Kagome giggled and nodded, then walked to the foot of the Sacred Tree where she sat the pot on the ground and lifted the lid. The huge canine head nudged her aside, almost knocking her off of her feet. She stumbled and then sat down on a convenient root, that she often used as a stool. It was somewhat easier to talk to him without blushing madly when he was in his canine form and she wondered if it was easier for him as well.

"I take it you like it?" she asked. It was just instant ramen, but she added some extra ingredients like sausage slices and boiled egg to make it taste less artificial. One ear twitched her way, but he didn't pull his nuzzle out of the pot, his tongue swiping noodles into his maw.

'Keh,' was it just her imagination or was his body smaller than a minute before? She frowned and looked at his form, low on wide spread massive paws, tail relaxed and on the ground. Yes, he had shrank, that greedy dog. 

'Is it so it's easier to put your nose in the pot?' she wondered. 'You know, you could change, I have chopsticks...'

'Keep 'em.' the canine lifted his head to look at her, chewing on the mouthful of noodles.'Your brother is in the forest.'

It wasn't phrased as a question, but the sideways glance towards the bushes and tilting ears made her think that he was asking if he should hide.

"Stay," she said in a soothing tone of voice. "He's family, he can see you as you are, my friend. Just don't let the girls find out you're..."

'Yeah, yeah, I'm your boyfriend, not a shrine guardian, got it,' he laughed in her mind. A sausage slice dropped from the tangled noodles right on her knee. 'Really, couldn't think of a better explanation?'

"Excuse me! I was trying to make sure they wouldn't come hounding after you!" she glared at him, trying to hold back her blush. He might be a dog right now, but she knew he wasn't, he was a handsome, cute and annoying boy. 'You're too handsome to be left alone, you idiot! And your ears are too cute!'

Her eyes widened at the same time that her hands flew to cover her mouth, heat covering her face. The dog froze with a few stray noodles handing from between his fangs and some of the ramen broth dripping off of them.

The telepathy link they shared wasn't a total bond that would let them in the other's head. Their thoughts and memories weren't immediately known to the other. It merely enabled Inuyasha to communicate with her in his canine form. It also allowed them to talk over some distance, but it wasn't much bigger than a shouting distance would be. It also allowed Kagome talk to him... If she directed her thoughts at him.

"Oh my gods, I thought it out loud," she gasped. Inuyasha looked away, his ears twitching rapidly. He took a small step back and lowered his body closer to the ground, as if unsure what to do. His body grew back to its usual size as he retorted.

'K-keh! Stupid wench, half-breeds ain't handsome,' he forced out, his mental voice strained and a growl coming out of his throat. "And my ears ain't cute! Damn you, I'm a youkai, not a plush toy!' 

"You know what, you're right, you aren't cute, not even a bit!" she glared at him in mixture of embarrassment and anger. She picked the sausage slice from her knee and waved it in front of his snout. "And you eat like a slob!"

The 'not cue' ears, previously laid back, kicked forward, golden eyes zeroing on the bit of meat she held. A pink tongue sneaked out from his mouth and the morsel was snatched out of her fingers before she knew what happened. She stared at him with her mouth open, her hand still between them, the miko unsure if she should make an 'awww' or an 'ewww' noise.

Ans that was how Souta found them.

.

 

To be blunt - he wasn't prepared for her. He was glaringly not prepared for her and now he was confused and lost.

He had lived in the shrine almost his whole life. He had spent five centuries serving twenty seven shrine keepers, but he wasn't prepared for the twenty eighth one. 

She had came into his life suddenly like a summer rain - the old man had just up and declared retirement, handing the shrine and all attached to it, in her hands. 

She had been raised away from the shrine and when she had been visiting earlier he had never paid her much attention, preferring to stay away from humans in general. But when she had came to take her grandfather's place, she had brought changes Inuyasha had never expected to come.

Oh, he had had reasonably friendly shrine keepers. He had had clueless ones that hadn't been trained before taking up the mantle. But never in his life had had he one not carrying even a bit of fear of him.

She came into his life like a tsunami tide, turning the order he knew upside down. How was he supposed to act around her now? She seemed not only to not fear him, she was actively seeking his company just for sake of spending time with him. 

As if she was blind to the fact that - shrine guardian or not - he was a half-breed, an abomination that was granted sanctuary and a safe place in this world only because he swore to obey and protect, giving the kotodama of his name to her.

She was crazy, this brave, clueless, clumsy, lovely, nicely smelling wench, she had to be for bringing so many changes into his life without even trying.

She was breaking all the order, changing the laws installed by her ancestors. She gave him food, worried about him when a storm came, while her ancestors had been content with making sure he could take care of himself by himself. She granted him the permission to enter the home, to wander freely through the shrine grounds as long as his ears were covered, she even let an outsider - her mother - learn about him.

...That woman's hands had been so gentle when they stroked his ears, he couldn't remember anyone doing that in his entire life since his mother's passing...

And then she went and declared him her boyfriend. Oh, he knew it was a lie, but the mere thought that a lowly hanyou could enter any kind of romantic relationship with a human... He knew what a boyfriend meant - her grandfather had had explained it to him when her father had started dating her mother years ago.

When she came with the food for him he approached her in his dog form, thinking that it'd feel less awkward. He was still unsure what to think and it looked like every time he twitched his ears she was doing or saying something to throw him off balance. It was annoying, the feeling of unpredictability, but at the same time he was feeling as if he was allowed to run through a wild forest for the first time in his life.

He pushed her away with his snout, he growled at her and there was still no trace of fear in her scent. She sat next to an inu youkai and never thought how dangerous he was. She even had the audacity to argue with him. He had thought that after witnessing him fighting she'd learn, but apparently she was too dense. Maybe next time he should tear a youkai to shreds in front of her? 

But... Did he want her to fear him? To distance herself from him, like almost all others had done before? To call him only when she needed his assistance? To hesitate before touching him? Or did he want to explore this new wild forest, find out where the path of the tsunami wave led? Did he want to trust her?

And just then, when she was yelling at him, smelling embarrassed and nervous, but not for the right reasons, he went and licked her hand like a dumb dog he was.

But there was a good side to it - she got quiet and was now just staring at him, blushing madly. The bad side was he was probably more embarrassed than she was.

And - of course - that was when the order of things was breached once more.

"Komainu..." breathed out a new voice. Inuyasha leaped to face the newcomer, snarling, his head low as he readied himself to pounce. But it was just the boy, Kagome's brother. He looked pale - paler when he saw Inuyasha's reaction - but unharmed. 

"Inuyasha, don't hurt him," Kagome hissed, her hand grasping the ruff of fur around his neck. It was an order, but he wasn't going to attack the young Higurashi anyway.

Of course it was all the wench's fault - she had ordered him to allow the other Higurashi family members to see him. And now he was to somehow interact with this creature. His ears laid back he glared at them both.

And now the boy was staring at him with those eyes shining with child-like awe Inuyasha knew. Many others of his family had looked at him like this, at least until they had witnessed him in battle and other youkai harming humans. 

He remembered pushing Kagome out of the well-house and leaping to tear this same boy our of the youkai's grasp.

"You... You are the man in red," Souta said after a moment, watching the tense dog that was much bigger than any mortal canine. The dog's head bobbled in confirmation. "Thanks for saving me."

"Souta, this is Inuyasha, he's the shrine guardian and my partner," Kagome said.

'I thought I was your boyfriend,' he jibed and got his fur pulled.

"Oh, hush, you!" Kagome grumbled, looking away. Souta carefully approached, never turning his admiring gaze away from the inu youkai crouched beside his sister. At her words he blinked and tilted his head, so the girl explained. "He can't really talk in this form, so he uses telepathy.  
"  
"Wow, cool!" Souta turned towards Inuyasha. "Can you talk to me too?"

'No, kid,' Inuyasha shook his head, knowing only Kagome could hear him. She passed his reply to the boy, who pouted.

"That's not fair, why does she get a cool youkai companion?" he grumbled. 

'Gods help me, is no one in this family sane anymore?' Inuyasha lifted his eyes to where the inner shrine was located, as if looking for the mountain deity to answer. The deity, of course, didn't bother.


	18. The Dog Gets Caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N; It was bound to happen.  
> Beta: Cstorm86

Kagome should have known it was going to happen. It wasn't like she hadn't had all the data needed to come to a correct conclusion.

But in the light of an awkward talk with the shrine guardian and then Inuyasha meeting with her brother kinda made her forget. It had been pretty amusing to see Souta look at the clearly unnerved hanyou with those shining eyes. After all, Inuyasha was his savior from the vile youkai's clutches. It had been pretty amusing to watch the poor hanyou try and not show how anxious he was getting with Souta's blizzard of questions. Kagome had tried to keep her brother's excitement at bay, not wanting for Inuyasha to be overwhelmed, still she giggled when the hanyou had put his hair in a messy bun on top of his head to hide his ears.

Souta ran out from the shadow of the trees, smiling and beckoning them to follow. He was still a bit pale, but otherwise it seemed that he was back to his old self after the events of the last night. Kagome returned his smile, simply happy her little brother was alright.

"Come on, komainu," the boy called. "I'll show you my favorite..."

"Don't call me that, kid," Inuyasha grumbled as he caught the boy by his shoulders and turned him around to face the shrine building and the two statues guarding it. "These two are komainu."

"Well yeah but they're made after you," Kagome teased.

"Keh," the hanyou shrugged and ignored the renewed spark of adoration in Souta's eyes. The youth latched onto his hand, just like Kagome not afraid to grab the clawed hand of the supernatural being, and pulled him towards where Mrs. Higurashi's car was parked. Kagome watched the poor hanyou being dragged away from her, a soft smile on her lips. She knew her family could be a handful, but she hoped that their acceptance would make this boy less lonely.

Kagome stopped near the side of the well house, good ten meters away from the car, and watched her brother crawling in the vehicle, Inuyasha bending his head down to stick it inside, probably to better behold the thing the boy wanted to show him. Knowing Souta it was the newest volume of One Piece, stashed in the back pocket of the seat. Kagome wondered if Inuyasha had even before been inside a car. The vision of the boy with his head stuck out of the window of a moving car, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his hair windblown and his ears perked and eyes twinkling in excitement popped into her head and she double checked to make sure that she wouldn't send this image to Inuyasha.

The miko didn't notice three shadows joining hers on the ground in front of her until it was too late.

"So, Ka-go-me, to whom belongs this magnificent behind?" Eri inquired casually. Cold sweat covered Kagome's brow when she felt Eri's hand on her shoulder. She was almost too afraid to look to the side at the three grinning harpies ogling the back end of the hanyou.

'Oh, shit.'

Kagome wasn't sure if it was hers or Inuyasha's thought, or maybe they both had thought that at the same moment. One thing was for sure - the feelings attached to those two little words were panic and anxiety. And more than a bit of annoyance. His youki swirled in tight coils, as if he was ready to fight or flee at any moment.

"Uh..." Kagome grunted when Yuka patted her shoulder and started walking towards the car. 'Run!'

"Don't worry, we just want to say hi to him," she said, looking towards the car with a bit less playful gaze than their friends.

'Like how? You wanna me being a youkai to be a secret, no? I can't just bolt or teleport!'

'...Wait, you can teleport?...' between the panicked thoughts flying between them a vision of Inuyasha doing the same move Goku from Dragon Ball Z as he teleported came to her mind - even with the right sound. Maybe she had watched too much anime with her brother...

'Focus, wench!'

Ayumi bounced after Yuka, followed by Eri. It seemed all three were eager to meet the owner of the red-clad behind sticking out of the car. A terrible image of the trio tackling Inuyasha to the ground to stroke his hair and play with his ears came to her mind. Oh no, she had to save the ears! Especially because she herself haven't had a chance to play with them yet!

But it was already too late, Yuka and Eri reached the car.

"Hello?" Eri called out in a warm, merry voice.

'Inuyasha, try to be nice!' was all Kagome managed to think to him before he straightened his back and turned to face the curious trio. He was scowling, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the command or of the three girls invading his personal bubble. He hid his hands in his sleeves as he sized them all up.

"What do you want?"

"You're the guard here, right?" asked Yuka, her hands on her hips.

"Oh, wow, you have cool eyes." Ayumi gasped in awe, staring intently in his face.

"Do you dye your hair? Can I touch it?"

All three spoke in the same time and the approaching Kagome was sure their eyes were shining. Eri, who spoke about his hair, reached a hand, eager to touch a forelock that covered the place where no human ear was to be found. Inuyasha flinched away from her.

"Keep your clammy hands to yourself, girl!"

"Oh, how rude!" she gasped.

"And grabbing at strangers isn't rude?" he growled and glared at the other two. "And I'm not a thing to be ogled! And yes, I'm a guard here, so better notpiss me off!"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome decided to jump to action before a real shit could hit the fan. "Let me introduce my friends, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi," she smiled as she weaseled her way between the hanyou and the aforementioned girls. She glanced up to him to make sure he wouldn't shout at her for invading his personal space even more than them, but saw a somewhat relieved look in his eyes. 'He must feel cornered, standing pressed against the side of the car and with them surrounding us... Still, I'm glad he tries to act civil and not run away.' Even his youki seemed to be less agitated."Girls, this is Inuyasha..."

"Your boyfriend, right? So, how long are you two together? How did you two meet?" it sounded as if they had rehearsed this, because they spoke in unison.

And then the unthinkable happened.

"We’ve known each other for a while. After all I've been the guardian at the shrine for a long time and she used to spend her vacations here."

Kagome gaped at the man standing just beside her. He sounded almost pleasant, but his body language told her he was still wary and tense. Ayumi clasped her hands together, stars reappearing in her eyes. 'Doomed by one sentence...' Kagome thought.

"Ah, a vacation love then!"

"Kagome, why didn't you tell us?" Yuka exclaimed in disbelief. "We were supposed to tell such things to each other!"

"Uh... Wells..."

"I asked her not to." 'Saved by one sentence!' Kagome smiled at the sound of this simple explanation and gave an enthusiastic nod.

"You know, Inuyasha here isn't too extroverted and he prefers to keep his private life a secret," Kagome said with a wink. The expressions on the girls' faces showed that they accepted their explanations and Kagome sighed in relief. She didn't like to lie, especially to her friends, but there was no way to predict how they'd react to the truth.

"So, Inuyasha, what about this burglar, did you get them?" Yuka asked.

"Burglar?" Inuyasha tilted his head like a confused puppy. 'We told them that the ruckus last night was due to a would-be thief,' Kagome quickly informed the boy. "Keh, it's been taken care of, don't worry about it."

"So, guys, what are you up to?" Kagome asked the trio. "Wanna do something fun or just see around the shrine? The forest part is pretty big, so better try to stay near the edge," she warned.

"To be honest, we wanted to mix seeing around the shrine and searching for your secret boyfriend, but since we already found him..." Eri put a finger to her chin. "Let's get to know Inuyasha better.."

"Not gonna happen," Inuyasha grumbled. "I already wasted enough time with you," Inuyasha declared, his youki rising at the prospect of being interrogated by three too loud and too curious girls.

"Wait, where are you going? We have questions!" the girls complained

"And I have a job!" the boy barked back, not even turning to look at them.

"Inu..." Kagome reached a hand, but he was already stomping towards the forest. 'Don't leave me alone with them!'

'Don't try my patience, wench,' she heard his voice in his head. 'I shouldn't be seen by outsiders at all, so consider me staying with those airheads for so long a payback for the ramen.'

"That was so rude!"Eri put her hands on her hips, glaring after the hanyou. "Leaving us so abruptly!"

"Oh, don't mind him he's just busy," Kagome smiled brightly at her. "He wants to check the whole grounds before the visitors come in."

"Ah, so he's gruff, but dutiful," Ayumi returned Kagome's smile. "I kinda imagined you would go for a silent, cool type, Kagome."

"Come on, Ayumi, it's plain as day he isn't the cool type," Yuka shook her head. "I bet he's a hothead. And to think you choose him over the kind, nice Hojo, Kagome..."

"But look how focused he is on making sure our Kagome here is safe," Ayumi giggled. "And he sure is more handsome than Hojo."

The miko blushed and looked after Inuyasha with envy. After all, he wasn't going to play the game of dodging her friends' questions without lying too much anymore.

She didn't notice that Yuka stopped giggling with the rest and looked towards the forest as well, frowning a little. She also didn't notice her brother skipping towards the house to find their mother and tell her what he had witnessed.


	19. The Girl Investigates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, curious what shadows lurk around the ancient shrine? A certin girl sure is... and she's going to find out!  
> Beta: Cstorm86

It had been a lovely day. They had met the rude guy who was supposed to be Kagome's boyfriend. He looked acceptable, even if exotic with his pale hair and eyes. He was rather unkind and Yuka hadn't liked his attitude towards them when they had met, but during their brief encounter she had felt as if there was no need to worry about Kagome. She wouldn't allow her dear, kind friend to be a victim of a violent man, but this Inuyasha seemed like he was just an antisocial introvert with a rough demeanor, not a brute. She had noticed that as soon as Kagome had joined them he had seemed to relax a bit, so she guessed he had been so unkind and had left them so fast because of being startled.

Still, even long after this encounter, Yuka felt that something had been wrong about that boy. It wasn't his attitude, nor his odd looks. There was something different - sadly she hadn't had a chance to interact with him again, since he hadn't showed up for the rest of the day.

She had let it go and just enjoyed her time with her friends, talking and helping Kagome around the house, laughing and letting Kagome show them around.

But now, as she rested on her futon in Kagome's room, listening to the others breathing deeply in sleep, the memory of the encounter with the shrine guardian came back to her mind and kept her awake. 'It felt as if the air itself around him was changing thickness,' she wondered, looking at the ceiling. 'When I stood right next to him it felt as if something hot and charged was surrounding him, pressing against me.' This was of course, stupid, there was no logical explanation of this other than that she was wary of the man that had been secretly dating Kagome. She was just an overprotective friend and that was why she felt unsettled around the stranger who seemed to be pretty close with her friend.

Even thinking about her was making her feel something similar again, the feeling of heat pushing at her skin, causing goosebumps to cover her arms. She carefully sat up and made her way outside of the room. Armed with a flashlight she made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water before she went through the shoji to the porch to breathe some cool air and drink her water.

Sometimes stargazing helped her collect her thoughts and then fall asleep faster.

As she sat on the wooden floor, watching the stars twinkling over the dark forest, the sickle of the moon high overhead, she froze with her glass halfway towards her mouth.

Something pale left the forest.

As it entered the dim moonlight Yuka blinked in shock - it was an old woman dressed in miko robes just like Kagome's. She was walking through the grass towards the old well house. One of her eyes was covered and she held something wrapped in white cloth in her hand. Beside her, dressed in the red kimono from before, but with his hair falling down his back, walked Inuyasha.

"Can you move any slower?" the man complained.

"Weaving a spell like this takes a lot of energy and it's still not finished, Inuyasha. You should finally learn some patience," the old woman scolded in a tired, but kind voice. Yuka felt the fine hairs on the nape of her nexck stand straight as she watched the pair.

"Keh, just hurry up."

Yuka frowned. 'A spell? Who exactly was this woman? Kagome had never mentioned her before...' What was going on? Was it maybe some secret ritual? But if it was a shrine affair shouldn't Kagome or her grandfather be present? Or... Maybe it was linked to the 'burglary attempt' from the previous night? Yuka put her glass under the wall. It would explain her feeling of something being amiss. She often had those feelings and rarely was wrong - no matter if they concerned a newly met person or a gamble. And right now her sixth sense was telling her something was really not normal.

She waited for the pair to climb up the few stairs and disappear in the darkness of the well house, thinking what she should do. Should she call Kagome and expose them? Was it safe? Maybe it'd be better to record their actions and then use the video as a proof? Who knew what a criminal could do to make sure a witness couldn't talk about their shady deeds?

She returned to the kitchen where she found Kagome's camera from where they had been taking photos earlier this day. She grabbed it from the counter and sneaked towards the well house, carefully peering inside and pointing the camera towards the inside of the building.

The shadowy place was lit - but not by lamps or candles. An eerie glow seemed to radiate from the old woman who was standing in front of the well. From the place from where Yuka was looking at her she couldn't see her feet. Inuyasha was standing a bit to the side, observing the woman as she waved a branch with little bells tied to it above the well.

"You know, it should be the current Higurashi who should do it," the woman muttered.

"She will, but later. I wanted to make sure the seals won't let go at the first touch of youki. From any side," the man crossed his arms in front of him. Yuka bit her bottom lip. She didn't understand what they were saying or doing, but it was sure something that shouldn't be done without the shrine keeper's consent. And judging by the fact that they were doing it in the middle of the night Yuka could bet any money on that they haven't told Kagome or her grandfather about this. One thing was for sure - this guard dude wasn't as trustworthy as Kagome thought he was. "Just a while ago I had to kill a whole flock of corpse crows."

'Corpse crows? Kill? What's he talking about?' Yuka frowned. Maybe it was some kind of code?

"Not taking any chances, eh?" the woman chuckled. "You seem more focused on making sure that the current Higurashi is safe than you used to be."

"It's not my fault she doesn't know shit. Now stop babbling and just focus on the work, old hag," he barked. Yuka almost dropped her camera when a sudden movement drew her attention to the top of his head.

A pair of pointy dog ears twitched there.

"Ah," ignoring the growling of the man beside her the old woman chuckled. "You are just as you were when Nobunaga's army laid siege over the Buddhist monastery and..."

"Old woman...." Yuka was snapped out of her daze staring at the ears - now kicked back and almost hid in the unruly mane of hair - when he lifted a hand and flexed his fingers, long claw-like nails shining in the eerie light. This odd sensation of something hot pressing against her skin returned. This... creature... whatever he was, he was dangerous. The old miko ignored his anger yet again as she swiped the branch over the well for the last time. The eerie light faded almost entirely.

"See? Done, there was no need to get all impatient and agitated, Inuyasha." she said and rested her hands on the well as if to support herself. "Now, will you help this old woman get home?"

"Feh, let me check it first," the man said in a low voice. Yuka gasped when he leaped forward and with a shout slashed at the wooden lid covering the well. Yellow light flashed on his claws and a pearly glow rose from the lid in a short flash. With a hiss the man jumped back, his hand hid in his voluminous sleeve.

"So, Inuyasha, is my barrier a ghost of its former glory, or is it strong enough to pass your test?" the old lady laughed.

"Damn, that hurts!" he grumbled. "Fine, I'll bring you home, but first..."

Yuka realized that somehow she had given away that she was crouched behind the doors of the building when she saw the blazing yellow eyes turning her way. The sense of foreboding rose in her once more, a bile of cold fear in her throat. With a short cry she turned to run,but before the chase even started it was over. Yuka never had a chance to even leap over the stairs to the well house, a strong arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her back, another hand clasping over her mouth before she could yell for help.

Claws brushed against her cheek when her back collided with a firm body behind her. She tried to struggle, but it was in vain, she was brought inside the dark well house, to where the old woman was standing, looking at her with mild concern.

'Did you think I wouldn't smell you?" Yuka froze when she heard his voice next to her ear. "Did you think I wouldn't hear you?

Yuka bit the hand covering her mouth.

"Fuck!" he hissed and pulled her tighter against himself, growling louder.

"Don't harm her, Inuyasha," the old woman's voice was calm as she approached.

"Just do it before I lose my patience," the man demanded. Yuka turned her frightened eyes at the old woman. Was she going to kill her? And she couldn’t even defend herself, the man was holding her tightly and not giving her any chance to fight back.

"Poor child," the woman said softly and touched Yuka's shoulder. The girl froze, the touch was cold as ice and made her shiver. "Do not fear, I won’t harm you."

'Yeah, right,' was the last thing Yuka thought before the old woman put her other hand against her forehead... And then the cool fingers sank into her head and the girl lost consciousness, slumping in Inuyasha's hold. The camera she held fell out of her limp fingers.

.

When Mrs. Higurashi was driving away from the shrine, Yuka sat on the back seat with her friends and still felt a mild headache, probably caused by all the excitement of the past two days. She looked back to see Kagome and her grandfather standing in the open gate, waving goodbye and smiling. She waved back and smiled, then she saw something white.

It was the shrine guard Inuyasha holding the gate wing open. He hesitantly lifted his free hand and gave a small wave too, looking unsure and timid. She smiled. The man looked so strong and rough most of the time and then was so shy, it was so adorable.

'You better be nice to Kagome, or Eri, Ayumi and I will have your head,' she thought, half joking and half serious.

Still, there was something... missing... or something... that shouldn't be there, and she couldn't figure out what.


	20. The Miko's First Request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Cstorm86

Kagome woke up with the sound of birds singing outside. She opened her eyes lazily and spent a while just stretching and battling her unwillingness to get out of the bed. She closed her eyes just for a moment.

And then the worst thing happened.

She had the most annoying dream there was - one in which she actually got up, dressed and readied herself for the day. She even went to prepare breakfast in the dream and realized it was not real when she found Inuyasha perched on top of the fridge and playing a cover of 'My Heart Will Go On' on an acoustic guitar.

The young woman woke up giggling and it took her a moment to realize she was still in bed. With a resigned sigh she got up to do the things she had already done in her sleep. Still, the image of the gruff shrine guardian singing that song was enough to make her smile when she finally got downstairs. Of course, upon entering the kitchen she didn't find the said boy.

Instead she found her grandfather pouring water into a cup of instant noodles. The girl shook her head and didn't comment of the old man's choice of food for this one time. 'Is it any wonder Inuyasha likes to eat this stuff so much? He must have picked this habit from years with grandpa,' she thought as she hurried to prepare a coffee for herself.

The day was rather uneventful after all the excitement of the weekend with her family and friends. They performed their respective duties around the shrine, offering guidance and suggesting purchases in the little gift shop for the handful of visitors. They were mostly locals wanting to offer prayer to the kami, but there were also a couple of tourists, who requested to be led to the famous ancient tree that grew in the forest part of the shrine grounds. 

Kagome was the one who led them down the narrow path in the dappled light of the forest. They were talking and snapping photos of the beautiful trees. At first she was half-bent on asking them not to take any photos, afraid they could point their cameras at a certain hanyou, but after a few minutes she realized that the shrine guardian was nowhere in sight. She took a deep inhale of the rich in scents air and relaxed her tense shoulders.

They reached the Sacred Tree and the tourists took their photos, amazed by the sheer size of the ancient tree. Kagome smiled at them, remembering how excited she had been when she had seen the Tree for the first time. She remembered herself as a kid, climbing on the roots, grasping at the bark of the tree, dancing in the light and shadows cast by the sunlight and shade of the leaves swaying overhead.

'Wait a minute, was Inuyasha watching me back then?' she immediately looked up, part of her expecting to see the hanyou crouched on a branch. She sighed, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer to this question. She had been a kid back then, it wasn't like she was acting silly now. 

Seeing that the tourists were done taking pictures, she waved for them to follow her back.

"Better not get lost in this forest. There are wild animals lurking here," she warned. It was the common knowledge, but it was best to remind people that it was not a park in a city, but a real mountain forest. Sure, it was safe near the shrine and the village nearby, but otherwise it was dangerous for unprepared wanderers.

"Is it true that yama inu, a huge mountain dog spirit lives around here?" asked one of the tourists, a blonde girl with chubby cheeks. "I heard people in the village telling stories about a humongous canine youkai..."

"Uh..." Kagome glanced in her wide, bright eyes and smiled, thinking about the one the folk tale was referring to. Luckily, she had an answer to questions like this one prepared. After all, she had heard some of the stories, but back then she hadn't known they were about Inuyasha. "There are many stories about the yama inu of this mountain. It is best not to anger the mountain dog spirit by disrespecting his domain."

Judging by the looks on their faces, the tourists thought that it was just a superstition. 'Oh, how little you know about the sulking dog guardian of the shrine,' Kagome giggled inside as she led them back When they left the forest Kagome bid them goodbye and went to check if her grandfather needed anything at the gift shop. To her surprise, the shop was closed, with a sign indicating that it'd be reopened shortly. Frowning, the young woman walked towards the house and as she neared it she heard her grandfather's voice coming from behind the corner. When she got there she saw her grandfather sitting on the raised porch with another man at his side.

"It's better be tea in those cups, grandfather," she murmured as she paced towards the two old men. Knowing Hiro Higurashi it could be sake, the old man didn't drink much, but liked to treat guests to a cup of it while enjoying the fresh mountain air and lovely sight one could look at from the engawa of the living room.

"Here she comes," her grandfather smiled and waved a hand at her. "Mr Hashira, this is my granddaughter, Kagome. She's the shrine keeper now, while I enjoy my retirement."

Mr Hashira was one of those tiny, thin old people with nose like a beak of a bird of prey and matching eyes, that were now sizing her up. Kagome offered a polite bow when she stopped in front of the engawa.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said. The man bobbled his head.

"She doesn't look like a strong reiki user," he commented, turning to Kagome's grandfather. Kagome's smile vanished and she straightened her back, trying to look aloof and not tell the man what she thought of his rudeness.

"I can assure you that she's more than capable," the older Higurashi replied calmly and smiled at her. "Kagome, Mr Hashira came today to request spiritual assistance of our shrine."

"What's the matter?" Kagome blinked and glanced at the man with curiosity. The tone her grandfather used suggested he didn't have in mind a regular request of blessing or purifying.

"Something lives in my koi fish pond," the thin visitor said with a grimace. The way he said 'something' sounded like he was spitting the word. "And it's scaring my fish. I'd prefer a real priest to take care of it, not a girl with milk under her nose."

The cup he held in his hand cracked in half, sake spilling on his lap. 

"Goodness!" Kagome gasped. Was this man's disdain so great he couldn't contain himself and spare the delicate cup? Her grandfather produced out of his sleeve a pack of tissues and offered them to the stunned man, who in silence did what he could to dry himself with one hand, holding the two halves of the cup in his other hand.

"A bad sign," he muttered. "This is a sign from the heavens that..."

"I think," Hiro cut in in a perfectly serene voice. "I think it's more like the heavens not appreciating your disbelief in Kagome's abilities. Better not to anger the deity more and accept her assistance."

'Keh, stupid old fart,' muttered a suspicious smug voice in Kagome's head.


	21. The Miko Negotiates

Mr Hashira was staring with his mouth slightly opened. Kagome glanced awkwardly downwards, not sure what to say to the old man, who just a minute ago had left his ancient car in front of his house to find the young miko sitting on the grass near the gate to his yard.

She knew what he was thinking - he was wondering how she managed to be here before him when she had still been at the shrine when he had left a half of an hour ago.

The simple answer to this was Inuyasha. The more elaborate one included her not wanting to suffer the ride in the old man's car and Inuyasha simply and silently offering her his back instead. It also included a dash through the mountain forest, with leaps over ditches and zigzagging between trees. The time between arriving and seeing Mr Hashira's car she had spent pulling twigs and leaves out of her hair and trying to smooth it.

And, of course, trying to figure out how to explain her appearance here.

'Easy,' Inuyasha said from his spot somewhere up a tree branch or on a rooftop. 'Don't let him ask about it.' It sounded like a good advice, so as soon as Kagome saw the man's mouth open she offered him a wide smile.

"So, Mr Hashira, where is the pond? For how long have you had the problem with it?" she asked. The old man glared at her and opened the gate, letting her in.

"Follow me, let's get this over with," he grumbled. "It crawled in a few days ago and since then my fish rarely dare to leave the shelter of the decorative reeds."

Kagome nodded, walking with the man around the house towards a lovely and well-kept little traditional garden with cherry trees and bonsai plants. It seemed that the unpleasant man really liked his garden.

"I think it's a kappa," the man continued, leading her to a pond..

This is when it finally hit her. She was supposed to... do something... to make the creature in the pond... disappear from it.

And she had no clue what it'd be and how she should handle it.

Her step faltered and a shiver ran down her spine when this realization came to her mind. She could do normal things, but would they work on a real youkai? She had no weapon and no sacred items to aid her in her work on top of not having any idea what that should be. Should she just pray and hope the youkai would go away? Or try and purify the pond? Use an exorcism? She had some sacred talismans, but would they work? Something told her that asking the old man would only make him laugh at her and say something like 'I knew you couldn't handle this'.

'Um... Inuyasha...?' she started tentatively when the old man stopped walking, pointing at the part of the pond where the reeds grew and where the fishes were probably hidden. The whole body of water was round and not more than six meters in diameter. It didn't look too deep.

'Yeah, wench?' came Inuyasha's reply, the hanyou nowhere in sight. Something in his tone suggested he had been waiting for her call, amused and enjoying the uncertainty in her mind voice.

'Can you... Uh... What am I supposed to do?'

Her answer was a wicked snicker. Anger boiled in her when she realized that he was actually enjoying the situation she was in and that it was probably going to be tricky to enlist his help. 'Idiot.;

'Takes one to insult someone who could actually help you right now,' came his mildly annoyed, but still mostly amused, reply.

'Uh...' Kagome bit her bottom lip, knowing that he was right, it was stupid to insult him right now. 'Well... How to make him...'

'I know what you should do,' he spoke in her mind again. 'But it will be pretty fun to just let you figure it out while the old fart glares.'

One glance in the direction of the said man told Kagome that he was really glaring at her, his expression showing his impatience and annoyance with the young girl just staring at his pond instead of doing something. In panic she clasped her hands as if in a prayer.

"Um, could I get some space?" she asked, hoping the man would go away and quit staring, so she could figure out what to do. She swallowed, praying he wouldn't throw a rude comment at her and decide to stay to make sure she wouldn't do anything to his fish. "I need to focus my reiki."

'If he goes away maybe Inuyasha would come out of his hiding,' she hoped. The old man looked her up and down before he gave a short nod.

"Higurashi prefers to have no witnesses to his work as well. Call me if you need me," he grumbled and walked towards his house, oblivious to the relieved and surprised expression on Kagome's face.

'Keh, so you managed to bite off your tail, wench. Not bad,' Inuyasha commented. Kagome looked around, but she couldn't see him.

'Come out?' she suggested with a hint of hope. Standing alone in a stranger's garden, next to a haunted pond, felt weird.

'No way, he can see you through a window,' the hanyou crushed her hope of having him at her side.

'Oh,' she frowned and swallowed again. 'So... What am I supposed to do? I can't throw salt in the water, right?'

'Better not. It could get ill from it.'

'You know, you could just tell me what to do and we could be done and back home,' she grumbled, clenching her fists. She didn't even know in which direction to glare, so she glared at the pond. He was acting just like Souta, holding the last few cookies just beyond her reach. She thought about her options. She could yell at the shrine guardian, which wouldn't help her any, or she should use the route she always used when she wanted her brother to do something for her and she couldn't blackmail him.

'Say, Inuyasha...' she started in a smooth, serene voice. 'I'd make you ramen...'

'Feh!' the hanyou scoffed.

'Playing hard to sway, huh?' she thought to herself and continued. 'With beef and chicken, and with all the ingredients you might want...'

There was no scoffing this time. Inuyasha liked his ramen, but he seemed to love his meat. She tried to hide her victorious smile when a moment later she heard his voice in her head again. It didn't sound amused this time, it was the voice of a starving man ordering his first meal in days.

'Three bowls? And with extra boiled egg...?'

'Of course,' she gave a small nod. Inside she was dancing a happy dance. Some instant ramen didn't sound like a big price to pay for his assistance. She made a mental note to herself to ask her grandfather about performing the 'extra duties' she was supposed to. She didn't want to go through this again.

'Feh, I'll tell you, but you better make the ramen today, wench,' when she nodded again, the boy's voice whispered in her mind. 'Kneel by the pond and touch the water. Act calm and don't move more. You can try and let your reiki gather in your hand. It's skittish, so don't overdo it.'

Kagome blinked in surprise, but followed his words, dipping her fingertips in the cool water, causing little ripples to form and spread across the surface. 'A skittish kappa...?' she wondered, focusing on her spiritual energy and telling it to move down her arm. The tips of her fingers glowed a little. She wasn't very good with using reiki, since she had never had much reason to train and meditate, but she had this suspicion she had to get strong and proficient with using it soon.

'It's not a kappa.' Inuyasha grumbled. 'The old fart knows shit. A kappa would never settle here. Actually I'm shocked this one is here, but I guess it got unlucky.'

Kagome didn't listen to him insulting the man again, she was more focused on staring at the creature that swam from the bottom of the pond towards her fingers, moving cautiously, but curiously forward.

It was a sea horse... Or something very similar to one. It was no bigger than her hand, looked fragile and had pearly scales. In the sunlit water it seemed to shimmer. Its fins looked as delicate as butterfly wings. When it was mere centimeters away from her fingers it stopped moving, Kagome felt as if its sapphire eyes were sizing her up.

"What is this?" she whispered, not wanting to scare the animal that looked more like a piece of jewelry than a living being.

"A baby dragon." Kagome turned her head to see Inuyasha standing behind her, a plastic bucket in his hand. He smirked at her, one ear cocked towards the house. She turned her wide eyes towards the little creature in the pond to find it gone. "I spooked it. Here, lure it to this bucket and we can go home. And don't tell the human what it is. Tell him you exorcised the kappa or whatever."

"Why not?" she cocked her head at him.

"He might want to eat the little guy. Humans think they can become immortal or get magic powers by eating dragon meat," Inuyasha shrugged. "Figured out you wouldn't like that."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want that," Kagome nodded and grabbed the bucked from his hand. As soon as she held onto it, Inuyasha leaped off of the ground and swiftly returned to the roof of the house, from where he was observing her. She guessed he came down only because he was sure the old man wasn't spying on her from behind a curtain at this moment. It was better to get the baby dragon out of the pond quickly.

Kagome turned towards the water and put the bucket in it, holding it with both hands and trying to put some of her reiki in it. Judging by Inuyasha's words, the tiny creature was drawn to spiritual energy and calmness, so if she just managed to stay still and...

She opened her eyes she didn't know she had closed when she felt something rub against her skin. The pearly nuzzle touched her knuckle and the sapphire eyes glanced up at her as it to gauge her reaction. She smiled at the cute thing.

"It's okay. I know Inuyasha can look scary, but he's harmless," she promised, ignoring the disgruntled grunt in her mind. "We're here to help. Get in the bucket and I'll bring you to my shrine, okay?"

The baby dragon tilted its head as if unsure of her words or not understanding her. But after a moment of her not moving a muscle, the little creature got braver and swam inside the bucket where the water was a bit warmer and purer. Kagome waited a few moments before carefully lifting the vessel out of the pond, keeping it almost full of water. The baby dragon swam in a circle before it looked at her, as if alarmed.

"I know, it's tiny," she cooed, moving the bucket closer to her face. "But it won't take long and you'll be safe."

'Move, before the old fart leaves the bathroom,' Inuyasha warned. 'Put the bucket behind that tree over there before he sees you.'

The miko nodded and hurried to the nearest cherry tree to hide the container. She smiled at the baby dragon before she returned to the pond and assumed a praying position. When the shrine guardian gave her a hint that she was being watched again, she pulled out of her sleeve a paper talisman, charged it with her reiki and threw it in the water. It glowed faintly for a moment before the paper got wet.

After this little performance she turned towards the house and managed to make a handful of steps before Mr. Hashira approached her.

"I'm done," she said. The old man eyed her and then looked at the pond where the wet slip of paper was being nibbled at by curious fish.

"So it looks like. I must confess, I didn't believe a mere girl could perform such a task," he muttered. Kagome shrugged and accepted an envelope he produced out of his pocket.

"If you need any spiritual assistance in the future, come to the shrine," she said and bowed her head before putting the envelope away and turning to leave.

As soon as she was out of sight from the house, and in the shelter of the forest surrounding the village where it stood, Inuyasha in his mortal dog form and size joined her, the bucket hanging from his mouth.

"You got the dragon," she smiled and peered into the water to see the little creature eyeing the canine spirit. "Don't worry, little one, you're safe"

'Better take the bucket before it gets upset enough to cause rain,' Inuyasha turned his head towards her. 'I can't carry you back, the water will spill if I run.'

"Uh," Kagome took the bucket handle from between the dog's fangs with no thought about how sharp and deadly they were. "I guess we will have a long walk ahead of us then. It's fine."

The dog nodded and walked beside her like an obedient pet that didn't need a leash or a command to stay by her side, ignoring all the interesting sounds and scents of the forest. His pointed ears were perked and swiveling on top of his head like radars. Kagome smiled at him and then at the little dragon, that was now calmer, glancing up at her with innocent curiosity.

She wondered how she was going to explain to her grandfather that now they were going to have to take care of a dragon.


	22. The Miko's Tempest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive, see?  
> My amazing beta: Cstorm86 - go check out her story Selkies and Sirens.

The walk home was a rather uneventful one, but it sure was long and tiring. Kagome always thought she was rather fit, but walking uphill for so long, part of the way traveled by a road and part down narrow and uneven forest paths, And the pace Inuyasha set was almost too much for her after first half an hour of walking. The air in the forest was humid, heavy with heat and scents, almost drugging and luring into drowsiness. 

But finally, she managed to get home. She was sweaty and panting after the hike, but she was at the shrine again. Inuyasha led her out of the forest and towards the back of the house, as quiet as he had been for almost the entire walk. Overhead the hot summer sun got obscured by heavy clouds that had been the reason for Kagome not to complain about the brisk pace of their walk, it wouldn't be nice to get caught in the rain.

"Okay, I need to go to the bathroom," Kagome put the bucket on the engawa and climbed up on to it herself. When she took off her shoes and walked inside to put them away before going to the bathroom, Inuyasha leaped at the wooden floor of the engawa to stay guard over the little dragon. The baby seemed to be asleep, drifting near the center of its container, its eyes closed. For the entire walk she had been letting her reiki purify the water, Inuyasha had suggested it as a means to calm the little creature and keep it strong. Of course, exerting spiritual power had been only adding to her fatigue, but it was worth it to see the cute thing's scales shine with energy and its movements getting calmer. Kagome smiled just thinking about the tiny supernatural creature that she had saved from the grumpy old man's pond.

As soon as her shoes were where they should be, Kagome ran to the bathroom, thanking the gods that she could finally relieve herself. Peeing in the forest, with Inuyasha nearby, didn't feel right.

Soon, the girl emerged from the domain of porcelain furniture to grace the world with a refreshed smile. She went to where she had left the bucket to find out that her grandfather was standing next to it, peering inside. Inuyasha was lying lazily on the other side while the little dragon was anxiously making circles in the water that no longer glowed with the light of her reiki.

"Hi, grandpa, we're back," Kagome greeted and gestured towards the bucket. "We took him out of the pond and I want to keep..."

"A dragon," whispered the old man, not even glancing her way. "Quick, Inuyasha, take it away."

Kagome gasped at the urgency in her grandfather's voice. Inuyasha didn't even flicker an ear. The dragon let loose a cloud of bubbles and swam around in more erratic way. 'I wonder if it can understand..' a part of Kagome thought. 'I guess it might, after all it responded to me earlier.'

"Grandpa!" Kagome made the last few steps to reach the engawa. She knelt beside the bucket and offered the nervous creature in the bucket a calming smile. She touched the side of the container to send some soothing reiki to it. "We can't throw him away."

"The dragon must go. Inuyasha..." the old shrine keeper said with a grim expression, but without anger. Kagome blinked when she saw a faint pink aura around his hand, a finger pointing at the scared creature in the bucket.

The dog stood up and growled at him, his ears laying back, his ruff fluffing out. He stepped next to Kagome and over the bucket, his fiery eyes focused at Hiro. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance and a strong wind shook the forest surrounding the shrine.

"Inuyasha...? What's...?" Kagome grabbed onto his fur, knowing that if he wanted to leap she couldn't hold him down.. But luckily the youkai didn't move to attack, just stood there.

'That was kotodama,' the dog growled. 'But he no longer holds power over me.'

"Oh," Kagome looked between the annoyed dog and her grandfather, who was no longer looking at the dragon, but at them both. His eyes were full of fear and concern.

"I'm sorry," Hiro muttered. "I didn't mean to, but... The dragon... You know it has to go."

Kagome felt the tense muscles hidden under Inuyasha's lush fur relax and flex. His ears were still laid back, but in a less threatening manner. The shrine guardian was still irate, but she knew he wouldn't do anything - he wouldn't jump to snap around her grandfather's ankles in a show of anger and warning, nor would he run away to sulk for days. Inuyasha was collared but for sure not tamed.

"Alright," Kagome sighed. "Grandpa, why can't we keep it? I mean if other humans find it they might hurt it."

"Kagome," her grandfather glanced at Inuyasha before he sat down a bit away from them. "Dragons come with storms and they grow with them. They might bring rain and floods. Thunders strike where dragons are nesting and when they take to the skies tornadoes form around their coils. The dragon is dangerous to the shrine and to us all and when it starts to grow it will call up a storm."

As if to prove his point fate decided to let a thunder grumble across the darkening clouds overhead.

"But this one is so tiny!" Kagome put a hand against the lip of the bucket. "It won't cause any trouble for a while and when it gets big enough to fend for itself we can..."

She stopped talking when the dragon nuzzled her hand, and blinked at the creature. Its pearly body filled almost the whole bucket, the water spilling over the edge whenever the beast flexed its serpentine neck to look around. Two golden bumps were sticking out on top of its head and two whiskers were now hanging from its tipped nuzzle.

When she was taking in the sudden changes in the creature, it moved a bit more and rested a small paw adorned with three claws. The dragon leaned in, propping itself on its paws to stretch its body, nearing Kagome's face. The dragon opened its mouth, showing tiny sharp fangs and long tongue...

...A curtain of red appeared just before the dragon could lick her nose. Kagome blinked and looked up, recognizing the red fabric as the sleeve of Inuyasha's kimono. The dragon hissed at the hanyou, who in return growled softly. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm in both hands and lowered it, glancing at the dragon pouting in its bucket.

"Aw, you are so adorable, little one!" Kagome pushed Inuyasha's arm out of the way and reached a careful hand to rub the dragon between its forming horns. The creature gurgled and closed its eyes. "You're the cutest!"

Behind her Inuyasha scowled.

"Keh!" he grumbled when another distant thunder had his ears twitching. "Better end your petting, wench, the old man has one thing right, the scaly brat has to go soon. A storm is already nearing."

"What? No, he is too small to fend for himself!" Kagome shook her head and the dragon hissed at the shrine guardian again. "See? He doesn't want to go yet either."

"Dear," Hiro said, glancing to the darkening clouds lazily making circles overhead. "Dragons are wild and intelligent, and as soon as they are able to leave the water..."

"I'll call you Tempest, little guy, do you like it?" Kagome asked. The dragon happily gurgled and slithered out of the bucket to rest its long body partially around the smiling miko. The creature was almost as long as she was tall. 'Oh, so maybe he isn't a little guy anymore...'

"Wench," Inuyasha growled, crouching near them and watching the dragon stretch itself across the floor. "It doesn't need you to stay safe anymore, you know. It got big enough and we should take it to some secluded body of water in the forest before the storm hits."

Kagome watched the dragon bending his neck in a graceful manner. In the dim light the pale creature seemed to shine. Thunder rolled over the mountainside, rumbling and echoing over the forest. Inuyasha's ears flickered back and forth. Tempest tilted his head to observe the distant lights of thunder bolts flashing over the mountainside. Kagome wondered about what he was thinking. For some reason the dragon looked more like an adult pondering a problem than a youngling admiring the sight. 'They mature so fast...' she thought in amazement. Just mere hours ago Tempest had been the size of her hand.

"Kagome..." Hiro said softly. "I think it'd be best to have Tempest move to a place a bit away from the buildings. As I said before, dragons grow with the storm and they ascend to the heavens in a tornado. The shrine won't survive it."

Kagome turned her head and was about to tell her grandfather that Tempest was too young to just go and be on his own, but a sudden gust of cold wind pushed her hair in her face. She sputtered and smoothed her hair back,. When she looked at the dragon, his face was mere centimeters away from hers. His big eyes were looking straight into hers with serenity and fondness.

"Tempest?" she whispered and the dragon nuzzled her cheek before moving away. It was easily the size of Inuyasha's inu youkai form when it moved off of the engawa and into the drizzle that came after the first strong gust of wind. "Hey, buddy..."

The dragon didn't even look back at her, his head lifted as if he was studying the storm clouds shifting and listening to the low rumbling of thunder. Kagome made a move to follow him, but found herself held by Inuyasha.

"Stay, it isn't safe," he warned her. The drizzle suddenly changed in a downpour.

"What? He won't attack us and some rain..." she started. Her grandfather shook his head.

"Let him go, Kagome," he said. "You can't hold a dragon like you can't hold a storm."

"But Inuyasha... You wanted to bring him to the shrine to keep him safe from humans," Kagome argued, her eyes following the ever growing body of the dragon moving in the darkness and thickening rain.

"Because I didn't know how long it would take for him to be strong enough to call up his own storm!" Inuyasha growled over the howling wind. "I didn't know you'd feed him so much of your reiki so fast!"

"You told me to charge the bucket and the water inside!" Kagome argued. She wanted to make sure Tempest was alright. Maybe he was upset that those two wanted to get rid of him? She couldn't free herself from Inuyasha's hold.

"Yeah, but till today you never used so much of your power at once!" the hanyou barked.

"Children!" Hiro shouted over them. Kagome and Inuyasha looked where the old man was pointing his finger.

A pale streak of coiling light was encased in swirling wind and water. The wind couldn't cover up the roar of excitement that came out from the great mouth when the dragon stretched his body upwards, his claws reaching for the clouds. Just as the tips of shining, golden horns were touching the low canopy of clouds the huge head turned, two pale blue eyes looking at the three spectators.

Then a lightning struck, running down the serpentine coils all the way down to where the tail of the dragon rested against the ground.

Kagome cried out and covered her eyes at the lightning and it took her a while of blinking away tears and dark spots before she could look back where Tempest had been.

There was no dragon rising from the forest, only the gray and blue rolling clouds.

"T... Tempest?" she whispered, her voice not able to rise over the sounds of the wind rustling in the leaves and the rain hitting the ground.

Inuyasha's hold on her loosened, but she didn't move away from the warmth of his body. Suddenly she felt cold and weak.

"He... He disappeared," she whispered.

"Dragons' instinct is to ascend as soon as they are able to summon a big storm or a typhoon with their power," Hiro explained, resting his back against the wall of the house. "I guess you fed him a lot of your strength."

Kagome shrugged. "I guess. I really hoped he'd stay longer, he was so cute..." she rested her head against the warm and rough fabric covering Inuyasha's shoulder. She opened her eyes just to see a pair of yellow ones staring down at her. Blushing, she straightened her back. "Um, sorry."

"Feh," the hanyou stood up and looked away as if to make sure the last lightning hadn't set anything on fire. "At least the shrine is safe."

Kagome sighed and looked at the clouds moving away from the mountain. 'Maybe we will meet again one day,' she thought drowsily. She deserved a nice long nap.


	23. The Miko Wakes Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy it!  
> My amazing beta: Cstorm86 - go check out her story Selkies and Sirens.

When Kagome opened her eyes she saw only darkness. It took her awhile to gather and sort her memories, the mission and the cute dragon growing with frightening speed to ascend to the sky in a storm. She had been so confused and excited that it had been only when Tempest had disappeared that she had realized how tired she had been. She had closed her eyes just for a moment to relax and gather her energy so she could go and make dinner...

...And now she was lying in her bed, still dressed, in the darkened room. She could only hear the soft whisper of a calm rain outside. A soft breeze flowing through a crack in the shoji leading outside was heavy with moisture and the scent of wet dirt and forest. It was so soothing and fresh.

The odd exhaustion was almost entirely gone, but she was still a bit groggy from her sleep. Since it was obviously not the time to get up, Kagome decided to go back to sleep, but she had to do something before that.

She was still fully dressed, only her socks were missing. And on top of being too hot, her bra was uncomfortable. 'I had to be really tired if I didn't even stop to take the damn thing off before going to lay down,' she thought with a bit of annoyance.

She sat up while pulling at her clothing to loosen it up. It was when she was wiggling her hand out of the sleeves of both layers of her top clothing that a terrified voice from the dark stopped her.

"What the hell are you doing, wench?"

With a panicked shriek Kagome ducked under her blanket,suddenly losing all interest in shedding her clothing.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing in my bedroom?" she glared at him through a slit between the blanket and the bedding. The hanyou was sitting cross-legged by the crack in the shoji to outside, but was barely visible. Still, she caught him move when he turned around, facing away from her. Kagome put a hand to her flaming cheek. She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't spoken. Despite trying not to think about that her imagination cooked an image of Inuyasha with her bra haphazardly hanging from his ear, his eyes as big as saucers. She groaned and pushed the vision out of her mind with all of her might. 'It didn't happen, no need to be embarrassed about it,' she tried to remind herself.

"I was just keeping watch over you," he grumbled, obviously as mortified as she was. His voice shook a little and the two triangles on top of his head, barely visible in the darkened room, were moving madly, just like his youki.

"Oh," she whispered, still hidden under her blanket. 'He was just looking out for me,' she thought and felt a bit better. "Was it you who brought me to bed?"

"Keh, did you think your grandfather could heft you up the stars?" Inuyasha growled, still facing away from her. Kagome sat up in her bed, glaring at his back.

"Hey! I'm not that heavy!" she exclaimed.

"Keh," replied the hanyou, his tone of voice suggesting otherwise. She actually could hear amusement at her outraged tone in his voice. "Just go to sleep."

"What? With you here?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow. How could she fall asleep with a man sitting in her room, watching her? It would be awkward! Besides, didn't he need any sleep? She felt herself blushing again at the thought that Inuyasha, this pretty handsome boy with cute ears, was in her room late at night, but she didn't have to force this realization out of her mind, because something else caught her attention.

Inuyasha's ears suddenly hid in his unruly mane and the dog guardian stood up abruptly. His youki flared and tensed around him as if to protect him from something. Kagome blinked at him.

"I'm leaving," he growled lowly and before Kagome could do more than just outstretch her hand and gasp in surprise at his sudden change in attitude, he was gone. The miko's hand fell back to the blanket folded around her waist.

'Hey, Inuyasha!'

Silence. Kagome glared at the closed shoji and tried again.

'Inuyasha, tell me what's wrong,' she demanded. 'Did I say something wrong?'

The answer came after a while. 'Nothing's wrong. You didn't want me there so I left. I won't come in uninvited again.'

'Feh!' she scoffed. 'It wasn't like that! Just you sitting here and staring at me would be creepy!'

'Who said I was going to stare at your ugly mug?' Inuyasha grumbled, but it sounded a tad less annoyed and agitated than before.

'Ugly mug,' Kagome repeated, her hand pressed against her chest as if his words offended her greatly. 'I don't have an ugly face, dog-boy!'

'Hey, don't call me that!' Kagome giggled at the infuriated hanyou and removed all the clothes she had been planning to before pulling her blanket over her again.

'You know, you can come here,' she said softly as she shifted to find a comfy position. 'Just knock on the door and don't scare me like tonight.'

'I was more scared than you, wench,' came the reply, calmer than before, from the shrine guardian. Kagome snickered in embarrassment before falling asleep.

The last thought she had was about the hanyou, who was annoyingly confusing and hard to read.

The hanyou sitting on the engawa near the shoji to her room was thinking about the miko who was damn confusing. 'I guess she wasn't disgusted by a half-breed staying in her bedroom,' he wondered. So, maybe he jumped to the wrong conclusions a bit too fast, but could anyone fault him? There had been Higurashis in the past who had prohibited him from even touching them, let alone to be in the same room with them at night. Kagome most definitely wasn't one of them, it seemed. She was the first miko who started to undress around him.

A hot blush rose to his cheeks when a memory of her pale shoulder came to her mind. Inuyasha gulped and shook his head to make the vision go away. He really had to make sure the next time he watched over her that he would warn her about his presence at the first sign of waking from her. 

A/N: Poor confused babies :D


	24. The Dog Dragged Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun!  
> My amazing beta: Cstorm86

The next time Kagome woke up it was morning. It was already hot and when she went to open her door to the engawa to let in some air she spotted her watchdog slumped against the wall near the shoji. Kagome smiled when she remembered the event that had occurred the previous night.

The shrine guardian was sitting with his sword resting against his chest. Kagome had never seen him without it, even if he wasn't using it. 'I guess he must feel very attached to it if he carries it around in this time,' she decided. It was nice to see his face relaxed in sleep, he looked young and serene. Just as Kagome decided to leave him be and move back in to change into a fresh kosode, one of his ears twitched and swiveled to face her.

'What? You thought I could sleep when you make all that noise?' came an amused, cocky mind voice of the hanyou when she gasped in surprise and ducked inside.

'I'm not that loud!' Kagome objected and covered her belly when it decided to rumble rather loudly.

"Keh! Just dress and go eat already! And remember my ramen!" Inuyasha called from outside and went away. Kagome listened for a moment to the sound of his bare feet hitting the wooden planks before she went to prepare for the day.

Today was the day of the week when the shrine was closed for visits, so she was free to wear whatever she wanted. Once her grandfather relinquished all his priestly duties she'd have to perform the morning prayers, but now she had the whole day to herself. Or rather to do things like shopping or seeing around.

Dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt saying 'I'm a cat person' Kagome walked in the kitchen to make breakfast. Her grandfather came in just as she was finishing heating up miso soup from yesterday.

"I see you're already rested after yesterday," the old shrine keeper smiled. "Your reiki is still not up to it's normal level, but it won't take long. I'm glad."

"Oh, I just needed a good night’s sleep," Kagome shrugged. She felt much better than before and she was in a good mood. While she finished putting food on the table, Hiro shook his head and poured himself tea that she had made just a few minutes earlier.

"Ah, the fast recovery of youth," he sighed and blew at the steam coming from his cup. Kagome giggled and opened the cabinet containing the ramen supply.

"Oh," she gasped.

"What's wrong?" her grandfather lifted his eyes from the newspaper he picked up.

"No ramen," she turned to look at him. "I was sure there was some left..." The old man grunted and hid behind his newspaper. "Hey, grandpa, don't tell me you ate the last cup!"

"You were asleep and I wanted some food before bed," came from behind the wall of paper. Kagome looked to the ceiling and sighed.

"You should've just woken me up or eaten something healthier like a sandwich or something. There are rice balls in the fridge. Ramen is a last resort food and to bribe Inuyasha," she reminded him.

Hiro's eyes met hers just above the edge of the newspaper.

"I'm not sure even I could get around Inuyasha to wake you up when you fell asleep," he said bemusedly. "As depleted as you were after feeding Tempest so much of your reiki, it made him most adamant about not waking you up before you could replenish some of your power."

"Uh..." Kagome remembered the hanyou who had been keeping watch over her at night and blushed. Was her grandfather aware that she had had a man staying in her room at night?

"You see, you're the shrine keeper now. If you don't have enough reiki to produce and hold a barrier Inuyasha will shield you with his body," Hiro said, suddenly serious. "This is yet another reason we should start a rigid training of your powers as soon as possible."

"Yes, grandpa," Kagome nodded. She hated the thought that Inuyasha could get hurt if she couldn't use her reiki effectively. "But you still shouldn't eat ramen if there's other food in the fridge."

The old man grumbled and hid back behind his newspaper, eating his food. Kagome sighed and sat down to eat just to be spooked by the sudden appearance of a certain hanyou complaining that he can't smell his breakfast.

That led to a short, but eventful discussion during which Kagome not only proclaimed she was going to do some shopping, but also that she needed help with it.

The poor hanyou never expected to meet a Higurashi so disrespectful of rules set ages ago by her ancestors. 

.

The pretty girl was standing next to the shelf with shampoos. A half-filled cart was standing next to her. A tall man in red traditional clothing and with exotic looking long pale hair stood with his arms crossed just a step or two away from her. His face was shadowed from the light of the store lamp by a straw hat that went well with the traditional look he was sporting.

Tom watched the pretty girl turn towards her companion and ask something, holding up a shampoo bottle. The man grumbled something and she put the bottle back in its place before picking up another and placing it in her cart. Then the pair moved forward to the soaps.

It was that girl, Tom was sure of it. She had her hair in a ponytail and seemed more talkative than she had been when he had approached her, but it was her.

The girl who had a yama inu stalk people who were too close to her.

Tom wasn't the best of dudes, but he knew that he should warn the other guy. So when the girl went to dig in a fridge for something the foreigner approached the man in red who was standing a bit away from her.

"Hey, fellow," Tom started. The other man didn't say a word, but his shoulders tensed. "I won't take long. I wanna warn you. Don't go near that girl. A youkai is..."

Tom's voice failed when the man finally looked his way from the shadow of the hat he wore.

A pair of deadly yellow eyes shone in the shade with malice of a cornered dog ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness.

"You were saying, stinking human?" Inuyasha growled.

He smirked when the man who had approached him now fled. It made him feel a tad better.

'What possessed me to agree to come here with her?' he wondered, looking back at Kagome prancing between shelves with various items, adding some to their cart and asking about his opinion on other items. He didn't care if she bought strawberry or raspberry yogurt, he wanted out of this smelly place, out of the place where everyone could see him, back to the safety of his forest and the shrine grounds.

He stole a glance around to see that no one was paying attention to him. People who looked his way, if they did at all, just gave him a raised eyebrow and went on with their lives.

That was... Unexpected.

"Say, Inuyasha," Kagome chirped beside him. "Wanna get chicken or beef ramen?"

His ears perked under the straw hat.

"Why not both?" he asked with hope in his voice.

This girl, shaking her head, but putting both ramen packages in the cart, she was turning his world on its head. But...

He moved to the shelf and when she was busy with noodles a few steps further down the aisle, he added a few more packages to their cart. No one started screaming at the sight of his clawed hand when it moved deftly between the piles of instant food and the cart. No one seemed to care that a youkai was among them. Maybe... Maybe he could come here with Kagome sometimes and nothing bad would come out of it? Maybe he could, if he wanted, just casually walk among people without the fear of being revealed, scorned, attacked? Maybe...

"Hey!" he tensed at the gasp from beside him. Inuyasha barely controlled his urge to leap away and hide with the speed that made him seem like he disappeared into thin air. Was he wrong to think all that? Was he about to be put in his place by a command like he had been in the past? He turned his eyes that way and saw Kagome glaring at the extra ramen. "What made you think I'll pay for all of this?"

He blinked. She wasn't angry with him for being in the shop - it was stupid to think that when she was the one who had dragged him to this stinking place. He schooled his face in a scowl and put a hand on the pile of ramen protectively.

"I'm gonna bring it back to the shrine," he grumbled. "I ain't doing it for free."

When the girl grabbed his hand - again without fear or any thought about his claws - he felt a faint, shy smile on his lips. 'I guess I'm getting used to this crazy wench,' he thought, putting in some effort to defend his ramen.


	25. The Flame of Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~skree~ Hope you'll enjoy it!  
> My lovely beta: Cstorm86

Kagome took her grandfather's words from this morning to her heart. She really didn't want Inuyasha to get hurt because of her not being trained well enough. Of course, she had been doing some training in the past, when she had been visiting her grandpa, but she guessed she had a long way to go still. She had to meditate and practice, so she could get better. After all she was a Higurashi, tasked with the safety of the shrine and gifted with the assistance of the hanyou.

She looked at the man walking beside her down the road out of the village and up the mountain to the shrine. He was pulling the small cart full of their shopping bags. The cart was just a wooden box around a meter long and wide, with two wheels and a long handle. Her grandfather had used it for years to carry stuff from the village and now Kagome found it more comfortable than to just hang bags on the handle of her bike.

Besides, now it wasn't her who did all the pulling, since in her wisdom and cunning she had goaded Inuyasha to do it for her. And he didn't even look like it was that heavy! He was walking with ease at the same pace she did! 

She smiled when she got an idea. She could improve her original plan!

"Inuyasha, stop for a moment," she said. Inuyasha grunted, pulled out of his thoughts, and stopped on the side of the road. They were near the end of the village, houses spread comfortably far from each other, lovely gardens and fences surrounding them.. Kagome moved to the cart and started to shift the bags and boxes.

"Okay, done," she smiled brilliantly at the hanyou staring back at her. "We can go."

He mutely scowled at her, sitting among the bags and boxes, a bag of rice in her lap. 

"Hey, I'm gonna meditate when you pull this thing, so it's not like I'm gonna take a nap or something," she tried not to look too smug. He still didn't move. "I'll do something nice for you, okay?"

He tilted his head.

"Like what? You already owe me ramen," he pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but it will be something different. But nice, promise," she tried to convey her honesty, despite the fact she wasn't sure what she could do to bribe him. Her grandpa usually had used food, but she wanted to find another thing he liked.

He shrugged and started to walk again, obviously not burdened by the added weight of his miko. Kagome waved at a kid watching them go from the front yard of one of the last houses in the village. The boy stared after them and Kagome wondered briefly if he was jealous of her neat vehicle. 

Then she closed her eyes and focused. 

Oh, a part of her just wanted to be lazy and let Inuyasha drag her back up the mountain, but it wasn't that big - at least that was what she told herself. She really wanted to try and meditate for a while. She was just being resourceful... 

She opened one eye and looked at the waterfall of white streaking down Inuyasha's back. He was pulling the cart with one hand and walking in a steady, rather fast pace. The forest was surrounding them now, but he was still wearing his hat.

"Done already?" he asked, not looking back. 

"Oh, no, I just..." she blushed, realizing that she had been staring at the sunlight dancing over the white mane. Blushing, she hurriedly closed her eyes and resumed focusing her reiki. Inuyasha just snorted, but didn't argue.

As they walked away from the village, leaving it behind a gentle curve of the road, they didn't notice the boy moving so he could see them for a while longer, his eyes narrowed as he looked after them and bit his bottom lip.

When they were out of sight the boy returned to the hole he had dug near the house door out and put an egg inside before covering it with dirt and grass. He kinda regretted he wouldn't be around when the egg went bad and started to stink.

. 

Kagome sighed as she pulled a big cake from the oven. She put the cake on the counter nearest to the opened shoji - both to help it cool off and to use the scent to entice Inuyasha into coming back from his forest.

She had wanted to repay him for doing all the heavy lifting, bringing their shopping and herself up the mountain. He had scoffed that it was nothing, but she still had decided to do what she thought would be the perfect thing.

She had drew him the perfect bath. She had filled it with hot water and had added some pine scented bathing salt. She had laid out fresh towels and a bathrobe for him, planning on washing his clothes. Then she had pushed Inuyasha inside the steam filled room, telling him to just enjoy the bath.

She guessed that the problem had been that she hadn't predicted the pine fumes would make him a bit dizzy and his pride wouldn't let him tell her about it in time. 

Judging from the splashes of soap foam Inuyasha had successfully soaped himself before he had turned on the shower to rinse himself before entering the bath.

It was just an unfortunate thing that Kagome had left the shower on the hot setting, with all the water in the pipes borderline scalding.

It had took her a while to wipe up the Path of Destruction, as her grandfather had called it, leading from the bathroom through the living room outside and into the forest. According to Hiro, who had witnessed the great dog fleeing, he had been a sight to behold, with all that fluffy fur dripping water and foam, in clouds of steam clinging to his form.. Kagome had been in the laundry room, so all she had seen was the result of Inuyasha's hasty retreat and her grandfather chuckling over his soaked newspaper. 

'I guess it's a good thing in this whole event that Inuyasha had shifted into a form that didn't require clothing,' Kagome thought sheepishly and glanced outside, to where she could see Inuyasha's clothing drying on a line. The idea of a handsome man with cute ears and no clothes on sitting somewhere in the forest and dripping foam was... Well, it didn't want to leave her mind, no matter what she did. 

She just hoped that Inuyasha couldn't learn about that.

She set about making some tea to go with the cake. From the array of boxes she picked up the one with white tea and prepared a kettle. It was just when she poured some of the tea to a cup that she found out that it was way too dark for a white tea. A sip later she realized that the boxes were probably mixed, because that was black tea with orange bits in it. She shrugged, it would be just as nice to have this type instead. 

She turned to see if the cake was cool enough to be cut and a brilliant smile spread across her lips.

She spotted a white dog sneaking behind a path of flowers. His tail was dragging behind him and he was hunched down,, but his stark white fur was still giving him away. He was close enough to see that his golden eyes were focused on the cake. 

'Stalking food again, eh?' she inquired, giggling when the dog suddenly froze and plastered himself to the ground. 

'N-no!' his eyes laid back and Kagome shook her head, still giggling.

"Come here, the cake's actually for you, so you have the right to stalk it. I still hope you'll share a piece or two with grandpa and I," she added when she watched the dog leap the distance between the flower path and engawa. "I made it as an apology for the shower mishap" she added to clarify. Inuyasha rested his paws on the edge of the counter and peered at the heavenly smelling food. His eyes glowed when he looked back at her.

'For me? All of it? Not like just a small piece?' he asked. 'A... gift?'

"The whole thing," she smiled and smothered a giggle with a hand when she saw his tail start to wag. His nuzzle hovered over the cake. "As I said, I'm sorry I left the water on super hot and didn't warn you..."

'It was a while since I had one of those...' he sounded mesmerized by the scent of the cake. 'And the water... I put in on cooler when I went to shower, but after a few seconds it went boiling.'

Kagome tilted her head. It was sometimes hard to read the emotions behind the mind voice, but he sounded hesitant when he told her that. As if he was afraid she would change her mind about the cake, knowing that it hadn't been her fault. So, when he glanced her way again, she smiled warmly.

"Wanna me cut it into pieces for you?" she asked and reached for the knife. "You can dress up when I do it."

'Keh,' the dog left the kitchen to pull the red kimono from the line and duck behind the corner of the house to put it on.

Kagome opened the drawer where they held all the cutlery and stared at it,

For some reason instead of chopsticks, knives and other things the drawer was full of acorns. Slowly she closed and opened the drawer again just to find it still filled with acorns.

"Huh?" That was weird, to say the least. She heard Inuyasha when she heard him come in and was about to ask what was going on, but at the same time he growled low. He was back in his red clothing.

"A kitsune," he glared around the kitchen and walked past her.

"A fox?" Kagome blinked at the hanyou. 

"There's a fox somewhere, I can smell his stinking ass," Inuyasha stomped towards the shoji, as if to shield the cake from the possibility of being stolen by a youkai.

"Oh... Is it a bad fox? I mean kitsune can be both good and evil, right? And... What should we do with it?" she asked.

"Chase the stinker away, of course. Good or bad, foxes are wreaking havoc and pranking everyone, we don't need one in the shrine," he grumbled and looked back at her. "I will follow his trail, stay in the house. 

"Uh... Alright, but..." Kagome stopped talking because something caught her attention. There, on a tree on the edge of the forest across the yard, she saw something pale. It was a long strip of white linen. The fabric swayed on the wind, held by a shadowy figure standing on a branch. Kagome frowned, she had seen this piece of fabric recently somewhere...

Inuyasha looked that way as well and for some reason his face turned as red as his kimono.

"You furry bastard!" he practically roared and leaped to rain pain and death upon the shadowy figure, who shrieked in a high pitched boyish voice and started fleeing, the strip of fabric waving like a banner after them. "Give it back, dammit, it's mine!"

''Mine... A long strip of linen...' Kagome thought as the chased and chaser disappeared in the forest. Then suddenly she felt heat coming to her cheeks. 'Oh!'

She covered her mouth with her hands A heartbeat later she heard a low, weird voice hissing from her side. A strong smell of smoke filled the air.

"Now, I will exact my revenge on you, miko."

At the same time a howl of rage could be heard from the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, what's going to happen to our poor Kagome?


	26. The Dog Gets Stuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My niece is an one year old Demon Toddler. I hope one day she will be proud of ber aunt sneak writing all those stories while she's having a nap.  
> My lovely beta: Cstorm86

Inuyasha growled as he leaped forward, wind whipping his hair behind him as he ran across the yard and into the shadow of the forest. His cheeks no longer flamed with embarrassment of seeing his underwear used as a flag by this stinking asshole.

Now he was burning with the flame of just rage.

The youkai encroached on his domain without asking, played his vile pranks on him and humiliated him in front of his shrine keeper.

Blood was going to spill, and fast. He almost felt the taste of it running down his fangs.

The kitsune was fleeing in panic, shrieking as he dodged. The fundoshi was long lost in a bush, but Inuyasha didn't stop his pursuit.

He was going to make sure there wouldn't be enough fur to make a lucky fox charm for the gift shop.

Trees were moving fast past him as he leaped from branches and ran across the leaf-covered ground. The little stinker's orange tail was getting closer and closer, his shrieks of fear ringing in his ears.

The fox reached a stone wall of a cliff and with a yell of fright started to leap upwards it, climbing up it from one ledge to another. He threw a bunch of acorns at Inuyasha, who didn't even bother to dodge, small bursts of fire unable to harm him through his kimono. There was no way Inuyasha would let the brat get away.

Then, as the smoke started to clear from around him, Inuyasha pushed himself off of the rock ledge on the base of the cliff and...

...And felt a painful tug. Instead of propelling himself up a couple of meters he hit the rock that his hand was resting against.

With a confused, angry growl Inuyasha lifted himself up, but when he tried to move his hand away from the stone he found it stuck to it, his fingertips plastered over a paper tag with some scribbling on it. Blood dropped from his temple down the side of his face, but he ignored it, along with the pain.

"Heheh, stupid dog," the kitsune boy laughed from the ledge overhead. "Now you won't interfere! I'll kill the miko!"

With a roar of rage Inuyasha lashed out with his free hand, sending a youki infused attack at the cackling thing, that disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Inuyasha howled, realizing that he had been chasing a copy and that now Kagome was unprotected. With a growl he resumed his attempts to free his hand from the stone.

His miko, his shrine keeper, his Kagome was the fox's target. Inuyasha had a duty to protect her, more, he had this overwhelming desire to see her happy and safe, much stronger than all sense of affinity and obligation he had towards any shrine keeper that had come before her.

He glared at the enchanted paper that held him away from his precious charge.

Blood was going to stain the ground.

.

She covered her mouth with her hands A heartbeat later she heard a low, weird voice hissing from her side. A strong smell of smoke filled the air.

"Now, I will exact my revenge on you, miko."

At the same time a howl of rage could be heard from the forest.

With a gasp Kagome looked to the side to find a fox with its fur fluffed out and bushy tail held low, glaring at her from the counter. He stood on the cake tray, his paws blazing with blue fire that was burning Inuyasha's gift. When he saw her look his way he snapped his tail.

The drawer with cutlery opened and the acorns started to jump out of it, each changing in a cloud of smoke into a copy of the fox Staring with wide eyes Kagome took a few steps back, Her heart sped up and she felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight before her.

"What... What are you doing?" she asked. The ever growing group of foxes were following her steps, growling and baring their teeth at her.

As she walked backwards the foxes started to pour out of the kitchen, filling the engawa with fuzzy fur and deadly looking teeth. Green eyes were flashing with anger.

"Tell me what you did to my father, miko! Did you kill him? Did you let loose your worthless mutt at him?" the first fox leaped off of the ruined cake to join the pack.

"What? No, I didn't kill anyone!" Kagome cried out and barely dodged a spinning ball thrown by one of the foxes.

"Lies! You lying human!" the foxes ran after her, yipping and barking, and promising to burn her bones.

According to her grandfather there were two places in the shrine where youkai couldn't enter at least without permission. One was the inner shrine, where the deity resided and even priests couldn't just casually walk in. The other was the Sacred Tree meadow - and that was where she ran in panic trying to follow the guidance of her grandfather from the past. 'Inner peace,' she muttered to herself. 'Inner peace, otherwise the barrier will shatter...'

The pack of foxes snapping at her back and making all kinds of noises, weren't helping her concentration.

It quickly became clear to her that running into a forest while being chased by a pack of small and nimble predators wasn't a good idea. She was stumbling, her blood pounding in her ears and almost overpowering the sounds made by the noisy foxes.

One leaped at her and grabbed hold of her shirt sleeve, tearing a big chunk of it.

"Inuy-" the miko lost her balance and when her leg caught in a tree root she fell to the ground. The foxes almost immediately surrounded her, cackling and sneering.

"The mutt's not gonna help you, you dark priestess, you!" they cried. She looked up at them just in time to see a whole bunch of them leaping at her, claws and fangs glimmering in the dim forest light.

'Inner peace...!'

Without thinking she raised her hands to shield herself from the attacking youkai. Blue light flashed in between them and all the foxes were suddenly flying back, some disappearing in clouds of smoke after hitting trees or the ground.

"Huh?" Kagome looked at her palms, that no longer glowed. Her muscles felt a bit heavy, just like the day before, but she wasn't drowsy.

Oh no, she was very much not sleepy right now. Her heart was pumping adrenaline all through her body.

"Evil human!" the fox yelled at her and then a ball of blue fire appeared in his hands. "Try to stop this!"

The blue flames burst towards her and she screamed.

Then warmth engulfed her, but it wasn't nothing near that hot. Carefully, Kagome lifted her head and found herself covered with a red cloth, a few stray blue flames dying down in the wrinkles.

"Hijin Kessou!" the man standing over her roared and swiped his hand. Kagome gasped when she saw youki infused red projectiles fly off of his hand and hit almost all the foxes, causing them to explode in puffs of smoke and short yells of surprise and pain.

'Inuyasha!' she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She knelt up, holding the kimono around her. She knew that she had only known the hanyou for a short time, but somehow he provided her with a sense of safety, of everything being right in the world. After being pursued by a blood thirsty fox pack the sight of the pale mane and fluffy ears almost made her cry and cling to the hanyou's back.

"You mutt! How did you get free...?" the fox yelled down at them from a high branch. Inuyasha lifted the same hand he had used to attack earlier. It was bloodied and still dripping. The hanyou smirked a wicked grin. Kagome's eyes widened and she breathed out his name in a whisper, covered by the fox's gasp. "Holy shit... What kind of a half-breed are you?"

'Stay under my robe, Kagome,' the shrine guardian ordered and flexed the fingers of his other hand. His youki was making the air around them stuffy and heavy. "Time to die, brat."

"Help!" the fox suddenly changed into a form that resembled a boy Kagome had seen somewhere before, orange hair tied in a ponytail, tiny face now twisted in look of terror. He retained his tail and little paws instead of feet. The moment Inuyasha leaped towards him the boy took off, wailing for help. The last of the blue fire around her died down as she stared in the forest, now full of screams.

'It was just a boy...' she thought numbly. A child had attacked her, set on avenging his father. Father that, Kagome was sure of it, hadn't been slain by herself. After all, a miko who could handle an adult kitsune would have defeated the kid with her eyes closed.

It was clear to her that the boy was mistaking her for someone else. And judging by the sounds deep in the forest, if she didn't do anything, he would die thinking she was responsible for his parent's death. Kagome took a deep, albeit bit shaky breath and wrapped the borrowed kimono tighter around herself. For some reason having the thick red cloth wrapped around her she felt calm and safe. She was alright, just had a few scrapes here and there. She could just imagine the pain, fear, sorrow and distress the boy had to feel. Was he now alone? Could they offer him any help? It'd be best to start with leashing Inuyasha's blood lust, before the boy got injured.

'Inuyasha," she called out with her mind voice, backing it up with her reiki. He didn't reply, but she could sense him listening. 'Bring him to me and don't you dare hurt him.'

'Damn you, I wanna shred his fur!' he barked back at her, but she didn't argue with him, simply waiting on the forest floor, her legs folded under her. The yelling in the distance suddenly stopped and she lifted her head, worriedly butting her bottom lip. 'Got him, knocked him out.'

It was like not even a minute passed between that grumbled statement and the hanyou was leaping down from a tree limb to put the unconscious kitsune on the ground in front of her. Kagome smiled thankfully at the hanyou, who scowled at her darkly and glared at the fox. He pressed the boy's fluffy tail to the ground with one hand, obviously to prevent any escape attempts.

"It was just a misunderstanding, Inuyasha," she tried to reason with the hanyou, growling under his breath. "We both know I didn't kill his dad and when we straighten things up he won't be trying to harm me. I'm sure that when we talk he will change his thinking."

"His tail should be sent to Inari's shrine," Inuyasha growled. "You're my shrine keeper and I don't care what the brat thinks."

"I do care. Losing a parent is hard, especially since he's so little," she said, looking at the lax expression on the boy's face. "I mean... I was much older than he is when my dad passed away. Just think how sad and lonely he must feel," Kagome felt a pang of sadness when she thought about her own father, but refused to dwell on it, as always trying to focus on good memories she had with him. She had had her family to turn to in the months that had followed that day, but what if this boy had no one to lean on, to share memories of his dad? She could just imagine how distressed the fox boy had to be and prayed they could straighten things out. Maybe she could help him feel better? Or offer him a place in the shrine, so he'd be around friendly people?

"And losing a parent as a kid entitles you to attacking people, how?" Inuyasha asked, his voice uncharacteristically indifferent. She looked up to see him staring into the forest, his ears laid back.

"Inuyasha..." she started and reached for his free hand. Just as she touched his palm the hanyou hissed and pulled his whole arm away from her, close to his chest. She blinked at him and that's when she realized that his fingers were still covered in blood. "You're hurt!"

"Keh! The poor innocent boy you're so bent on keeping away from his punishment stuck me to a rock so he could kill you!" he growled, losing the aloof mask in favor of his previous angry expression. "Had to tear myself away before he could actually do that. Lost some skin on that fucking rock."

"He... did what?" she stared at him as he started to carefully lick his hand, wincing. 'He had to do... what?' "Hey! Don't lick it! We should disinfect and bandage it! Or go to the hospital!"

"Stop yapping and focus on the brat!" he growled, again pressing his limb to his torso when she tried to grab his wrist and see the injury. She blinked and glanced down to see wide, frightened and wet green eyes looking up at her.  
'  
"Um, hey, little kitsune," she smiled her best smile. "I'm Kagome and this is Inuyasha. Don't be afraid and tell me, what is your name?" she tried to speak softly.

"Do you need my name to purify me?" the boy asked, his voice high pitched.

"Oi, brat, she couldn't fend off your puny fox fire, do you really think she could purify your stinking ass? Or your old man's?" Inuyasha barked and the kit flinched at his outburst. "Instead of training she wastes her free time on some stupid writing!"

"Hey! Don't call my writing stupid, dog-boy!" Kagome cried out, blushing at the idea that the hanyou could read her works. 'That's it, no drafts and plot plans left where he could find them!' she decided. She ignored Inuyasha's scoffing at her nickname and looked back at the confused boy. "But he's right, I'm not very strong. Surely not on the level that I could take on an adult kitsune."

She looked at the hanyou bristling at her still and a memory came to her mind.

"But... We met a kitsune a while ago, his name was... Sha? Or Shen?" she tilted her head, trying to remember that encounter, but all that came to her mind was Inuyasha butting the fox mailman's tail and getting his fur electrified in retaliation. The boy's eyes lit up.

"Shi! My dad's name is Shi!" he exclaimed. "And I'm Shippou!"

"Shi," the miko nodded. "He said he was taking an exam and was going to stay around for a while, he was working as a postman. Inuyasha bit him on the tail and got zapped."

"Feh!"

"So... You didn't purify him?" the boy asked, tentative hope in his voice. She shook her head and smiled.

"I didn't. He promised not to cause trouble, so I wouldn't do it even if I could. I don't know why you assumed I'd hurt him," she said gently. "The last time I saw him he was fine:

Shippou's eyes got tearful and he blinked rapidly. "You... you're saying the truth? Dad's okay?" he asked in a tiny, hopeful voice. She beamed.

"Yes. He's alright, sweetheart," she assured the kitsune.

"And that thunderstorm was not from dad's battle with you?" he continued.

"No, it was something else. Not a battle, I promise. So you see, you don't need to try and harm me. Inuyasha, can you let go of his tail?" she asked the hanyou, who was mutely glaring at her. The shrine guardian didn't move, but looked at the boy under his hand.

"How did you get here? What assurance can you give that you will behave?" he asked.

"I ain't telling you anything, half-breed! Aah!" the boy first tried to look aloof, but then yelped when Inuyasha suddenly assumed his huge dog form and started growling and barking down at him. The boy tilted his head to the side, looking away and stopping his brief struggle for freedom.

"What are you doing?" Kagome gasped when Shippou replied to Inuyasha's growling with a whine.

'Silence. Teaching the pup to not offend those stronger than him,' Inuyasha replied, one ear tilting her way. 'Won't hurt him, you ordered me not to.;

"Oh," the miko sat back on her legs, relieved. A moment later Inuyasha was again in his humanoid form, crouching over Shippou.

"I came through a burrow in a valley to the South," the kitsune said. "And I promise to be good, I won't attack anyone and will not play big pranks. I swear!"

Inuyasha's hand lifted after a moment and the boy immediately leaped a few paces away. The miko let out a deep sigh of relief, glad that it all went so smoothly. Now they were going to be alright.

"Alright, now that this whole shit is sorted out, I'm going to go and eat my cake," the shrine guardian declared and stood up.

Kagome remembered the burnt thing on the counter and realized that Shippou would soon get another chance to run through the shrine forest.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer - I don't own Inuyasha, duh.  
> English isn't my first language. I'm doing my best to keep my fics mistake-free, but if you find any - please - let me know.


End file.
